Girls. Neskuchnoye 1913

Zinaida Serebriakova captured this intimate moment with watercolour. You can almost see her, perched on a chair, quickly sketching, trying to capture the scene before the girls moved. Look at how the washes of colour bleed and blend, giving the whole composition a sense of airiness. The red coats pop against the soft, muted background. I imagine Serebriakova wanting to freeze this moment, a universal scene of childhood. The quick, sketchy lines, especially around the chairs and the girls' profiles, give the piece an unfinished quality. The chair legs are barely there, as if they are fading away. It reminds us that paintings aren’t about perfect representation but capturing an essence, an impression. I think of Berthe Morisot, whose delicate brushwork also captured these fleeting moments. It's like they're passing a secret down to each other through time.