Siam 1916

Zinaida Serebriakova’s ‘Siam’ is a painting that feels like it was made with warm honey, brushed onto the canvas with care. I am struck by the artist’s focus on capturing light and shadow. See how the sheer veil drapes and folds, the paint is applied in thin layers, allowing the white of the canvas to peek through, creating a sense of luminosity and depth. The brushstrokes are soft and blended, almost caressing the surface. It feels as if Serebriakova is trying to capture not just the woman's likeness, but also her aura, her essence. This area of the painting is particularly interesting, the way the orange of the veil merges with the sitter's flesh, which echoes the warm tones of Matisse’s odalisques. Like Matisse, Serebriakova’s work is always asking us to question what is real and what is imagined. Is it a portrait, or is it a memory? Perhaps it is both.