On The Beach 

Boris Grigoriev’s “On The Beach” appears to be made with colored pencil or pastel, materials that lend themselves to a kind of casual immediacy. Grigoriev uses them to capture figures in repose on the beach, focusing more on the textures of skin and fabric than on any kind of idealized form. You can almost feel the heat radiating off the scene, the rough texture of the sand. In terms of production, the drawing shows a contrast with more academic approaches, which were all about careful underdrawing and building up layers of paint. This one feels quicker, and more open to chance. In a way, the informality of Grigoriev’s technique reflects the newfound leisure enjoyed by a rising middle class in the early 20th century. It's an image made possible by—and reflective of—a changing social landscape, where even the materials and processes of art are open to reinterpretation. It reminds us that looking closely at the “how” of a work can unlock a much deeper understanding of its cultural meaning.