Sister and Brother 1985

This is Sergiy Grigoriev's oil painting, “Sister and Brother.” I imagine him, in the depths of winter, watching children sledding. Maybe he was reminded of his own childhood? Look how he's built up the paint, dab after dab, to create a tangible sense of the cold—the soft snow, the heavy, puffy coats. See how the strokes of white, blue, and gray suggest the chill in the air? Then there are the kids themselves: rosy cheeks, and button noses; the older sibling stares with this knowing glance. The younger one seems more wary, peering out from a mountain of fur. I bet Sergiy had children of his own because there’s such tenderness here. I think about what it means to capture a fleeting moment. You know, the way a painter like Fairfield Porter did with light and atmosphere. It's a connection across time, a silent dialogue among painters. Each one trying to freeze time to show us a way of seeing and feeling.