Breads 1920

Pyotr Konchalovsky made "Breads" with what looks like oil paint, and maybe even a palette knife, given the blocky application of pigment. It’s interesting to look at the scales and their shadow, and the way that links up with the blue cloth backdrop, and then the shadows on the bread itself. The colour palette is quite restrained, mostly browns and blues, but he gets such a variety of shades and tones within that limited range. This is where you really see the art happening, how the artist teases out nuance and complexity from seemingly simple materials. Look at the way the paint is built up in layers, creating this almost sculptural surface. The small cup on the right feels like such a considered punctuation mark, don’t you think? Konchalovsky has echoes of early Cézanne, yet, maybe with a more playful approach to colour and form. In the end, though, what any artist does is personal. So the challenge for us, as viewers, is to keep the conversation going!