Nude with a candle. France 1934

Zinaida Serebriakova made this pastel drawing, titled 'Nude with a candle' in France. The way Serebriakova uses color here, it’s like she's feeling her way through the subject, discovering it as she goes. It’s a process; you can see the adjustments, the building up of layers. The surface has this soft, velvety texture, which is so characteristic of pastel. The blues and greens in the bedding are really interesting. They’re not just descriptive; they add a certain mood, a coolness that contrasts with the warmth of the figure. Look at the mark-making around the model’s head – these loose, scribbled lines. It’s like she’s trying to capture not just the appearance, but also the essence, the feeling of the moment. It reminds me a little of Degas, the way he captured fleeting moments. But Serebriakova brings something uniquely her own. Art, after all, is just one long conversation.