Roofs 1931

Mstislav Dobuzhinsky made this piece, called Roofs, using what looks like ink on paper. It’s all about seeing, right? How many ways can you look at something, anything, and make it new? I’m really drawn to the textures here, all made from these tiny little lines. The rooftops and the snow-covered ground are built up with dense marks, the bare trees sketched with quick strokes. Look closely at the roof in the foreground, how Dobuzhinsky uses the varying weight of the lines to suggest the build of snow. It reminds me of Piranesi, that kind of obsessive mark-making and attention to architectural detail. But where Piranesi is dramatic, Dobuzhinsky is kind of cozy. It is not about being precise, it’s about feeling the vibe of the place. It's a reminder that art is an ongoing conversation between artists, where we borrow, steal, and transform ideas. Art’s not about answers, it’s about the questions we ask.