Still Life by the Window, Capri 1930

Konstantin Gorbatov made this painting called 'Still Life by the Window, Capri' with oil paint, likely in 1930. Can you imagine Gorbatov in his studio? The light pouring in, the view of Capri… There's a real sense of immediacy to the painting. I can almost see him dabbing at the canvas with his brush, the paint applied in these thick, almost sculptural strokes. The colors are so vibrant, capturing that Mediterranean light. I wonder, was he trying to capture a sense of abundance? Look at those squashes and pumpkins in the foreground – they’re so tactile, you want to reach out and grab one. The flowers on the windowsill mirror the pink rooftops and the church in the background. I can imagine him setting up the composition, arranging everything just so, then letting loose with the paint. It reminds me a bit of other painters like Bonnard or Vuillard, that turn-of-the-century interest in domestic scenes and intimate moments. There is a real conversation across time, isn't there? We are all responding to something that came before. Anyway, it’s all there in the paint, that feeling, that exchange.