Girls in Front of the Lake 1988

Sergiy Grigoriev made this painting of girls in front of a lake with oils on canvas, we don't know exactly when. The painting seems to have come into being through many soft, feathery touches, with light blues and greens dominating. You can imagine Grigoriev, outside perhaps, squinting to see, trying to catch the light as it flickers over the water. I wonder if he had to work quickly to capture the scene as the sun moved? There's a real sense of fleeting time. The paint isn't too thick, but there is a kind of breathy texture. It feels spontaneous, full of air, like a sketch done on location. I’m drawn to how the figures are at one with the landscape. They’re nude, exposed, and vulnerable, but also strong and free. They're part of an artistic lineage, echoing works by artists like Renoir and Cézanne, who were also exploring the nude in nature. Ultimately, it’s a conversation, an ongoing dialogue between artists across time, each inspiring the other to see the world in new ways.