Summer 1910

Zinaida Serebriakova made this landscape painting called ‘Summer’ and it feels like she painted it in one go, alla prima, wet on wet, with juicy brushstrokes of green, blue, and brown. I bet she was standing right there, probably on a warm day, trying to get all that light and atmosphere down as quickly as possible! I love the way the trees are reflected in the water, all dark and mysterious. The sky looks a bit stormy. The reeds in the foreground are painted with confident strokes. Each one is a single gesture, a flick of the wrist. That kind of mark making, for me, is just so incredibly satisfying. I imagine her hand moving fast, capturing the essence of those plants with incredible speed. It reminds me a bit of Impressionism, but with a Russian sensibility, a slightly different mood. Painters are always talking to each other, across time, inspiring each other. It’s like a big, ongoing conversation. And with paintings like this, we’re invited to join in and add our own voices.