Still life 1930

This still life was made by Nikolai Bogdanov-Belsky, but we don’t know exactly when. Look at those lilacs; they seem to vibrate! The artist built them up with lots of short brushstrokes. They're soft and blurry in places, but then really crisp and clear in others. I can imagine him stepping back, squinting, and then diving in again to put down another dab of paint. I wonder what he was thinking about as he painted? Maybe he was just trying to capture the light as it hit the flowers, or maybe he was thinking about how these colors work together. There’s a real mix of browns, yellows, and pinks, but all held together in a surprisingly calm way. It’s like he’s saying, “Hey, world, look at this little moment of beauty.” I love how artists can take something as simple as a bunch of lilacs and turn it into a whole world of feeling. Painting for me is like that, a kind of ongoing conversation across time.