State Farm in Balaclava 1929

Here we have State Farm in Balaclava, made in 1929 by Pyotr Konchalovsky, probably in watercolor. It's that kind of landscape painting that feels like a sketch. He works so fast and loose that the whole thing almost falls apart, but the atmosphere is kind of amazing. Konchalovsky layers translucent washes of color, one over the other, and then sets them off with a few bold marks. Like, check out the way he paints the shadows in the foreground – all these quick, dark strokes that feel so direct. It's almost as if he's trying to catch the light as it moves across the scene. Then, look at the roof of the house, a splash of orange that seems to vibrate against the pale sky. This piece puts me in mind of Cezanne, who also looked closely at the world. It's like he's reminding us that art is about feeling and experiencing, not just seeing.