Annecy 1933

Zinaida Serebriakova made this painting, Annecy, with oils, and well, what strikes me is how she builds up the scene with these earthy tones - browns, ochres, umbers. It feels like she’s really letting the process guide her, each brushstroke a step further into the scene. The texture is something else; the paint isn’t trying to hide anything. You can almost feel the way the brush moved, especially in the reflections on the water and the rough surfaces of the buildings. Look closely, and you'll see how she layers the paint, creating depth and shadow. See those lines of washing hung out to dry? Simple, ordinary, but she makes them sing. It reminds me of Vuillard, how he found the extraordinary in the everyday. Ultimately, Serebriakova offers us a perspective, not just on a place, but on how we see, how we feel, and how art helps us embrace the questions rather than search for easy answers.