In Prague 1924

Dobri Dobrev created this oil painting, In Prague, and the muted palette gives you that feeling of a grey day and ancient architecture. I can only imagine the artist standing in the Prague streets, taking in the details of these amazing buildings, and then trying to capture that in paint. You can see how the paint’s been applied in layers. It’s like the buildings are being built up, brick by brick, with brushstrokes, a bit like the architectural process itself. The texture of the paint becomes like the texture of the stone. There's an atmospheric quality to the painting, too, the way the light seems to soften the edges of everything. A lot of painters would have tried to capture the same view. We're all in conversation with one another, trying to find new ways of seeing things. And what’s really great about painting is it’s open to many interpretations. It’s not about answers but about possibilities.