Frozen Lake 1975

Sergiy Grigoriev painted this scene of a ‘Frozen Lake’ with oils, and his brushstrokes are so immediate that it feels like the moment is still unfolding. The painting revels in the textures of winter, thick paint evoking the crispness of snow and ice, and the bare trees are rendered with an almost calligraphic touch, each branch a deliberate stroke. I particularly love the way Grigoriev handles the light. It's not a bright, sunny day, but the subtle shifts in tone suggest a world filled with atmospheric, reflected light. Look at the surface of the frozen lake, and you can see how Grigoriev has dragged his brush through the wet paint, creating a feeling of depth and movement. The lone figure crossing the ice adds a touch of narrative intrigue. One could say that Grigoriev’s work shares a certain sensibility with other landscape painters who were active at the time. It is a reminder that art is always a conversation.