Flowering apple tree 1907

Ivan Grohar painted ‘Flowering Apple Tree’ with what looks like oil on canvas, and right away, I’m drawn to how the marks and colours create this airy, dreamlike effect. It feels like he's capturing not just the look, but the feeling of spring. The materiality here is key; look at the surface, how the paint is applied in these short, soft strokes. It's not about sharp edges or clear lines, but more about the light and colour blending together. The tree itself seems almost to dissolve into the background, like a memory. I love the way the pale greens and whites of the blossoms pop against the darker greens in the foreground. There’s a real sense of process here, the way the painting seems to have emerged from the canvas through layers and layers of marks. Think about other painters like Monet, who were also exploring how light and colour could capture a fleeting moment. It’s all about the ongoing conversation between artists across time, each adding their own voice to the mix.