Castellan. Valley 1929

Zinaida Serebriakova made this watercolour called Castellan. Valley, and it feels like seeing a memory. Her marks aren't precious. The whole thing has a kind of casualness. The colours are muted, earthy, and the light feels soft, like it’s filtered through the landscape. It’s interesting how she’s used the watercolour, not trying to hide the washes or blend everything perfectly. You can see the strokes, the way the pigment settles. Look at the way she's rendered the freshly ploughed field in the foreground: it's all rough lines and the paper shines through in places, which gives it a feeling of dryness. I love how the silhouettes of the haystacks are echoed in the distant hills, creating a rhythm that pulls the eye across the scene. Serebriakova reminds me a little of someone like Fairfield Porter, in the way she captures the quiet beauty of everyday life. There’s a similar sense of lived experience, of seeing the world as it is. Art like this reminds us that beauty isn't always about perfection; it can be found in the simplest moments, in the way light falls on a field, in the daily rhythms of life.