Grenada 1910

Pyotr Konchalovsky painted this watercolor, Grenada, with fluid washes and playful, graphic lines. It feels like an exploration. He’s seeing what he can do with the colors and the movement of the brush. The blues and purples in the sky bleed freely, contrasting with the sharper-edged, sun-soaked buildings. Look at the way the paint pools and drips. It’s all about the dance between control and letting go. It feels like he's wrestling with the subject, rather than trying to tame it. There’s a looseness, even a touch of naiveté, that draws me in. The purple shadows creep up the buildings like an incoming storm, adding drama to the scene. Konchalovsky reminds me of Dufy, who also had this knack for capturing light and space with such simple means, finding an elegance in the everyday. Ultimately, it’s this embrace of uncertainty and possibility that makes the painting so alive.