Moika. Three-arch bridge. 1931

Pyotr Konchalovsky made this watercolor painting, Moika. Three-arch bridge. What strikes me is the liveliness of the brushstrokes. The colors feel wet and immediate, like he was chasing the light as it played on the water and buildings. It's so easy to see artmaking as a process with watercolors; they blend and bleed together, creating these soft, ambiguous shapes. Up close, you can see how Konchalovsky layered the colors to create depth. The reflections in the water aren’t just copies of the buildings above, but these smudgy, expressive marks that suggest movement and atmosphere. Look at the bridge, for instance—it’s not just a solid form, but a series of green and blue strokes that give it a sense of airy lightness. It's like he's not just painting what he sees but also how it feels to be there, by the river. This piece reminds me of some of Bonnard's paintings, where the everyday world is transformed into something shimmering and dreamlike. Both artists share that ability to capture a fleeting moment and turn it into something timeless.