SPRING
This picture from the series “seasons” has a special meaning for me. Most painters use common recognizable signs of the changing seasons for painting pictures. There are thawed patches and bright blue sky in russian landscapes. Such landscapes are imaging the end of winter and the coming of spring. Or there is a gray sky, black “fat ” ground and black damp trees in russian landscapes. And certainly there are thawed patches.
My landscape “Spring” from the series “Seasons” is penciled a graphic technique. This technique has not such opportunities as painting with oil paint. So there are not clear signs of spring in the picture. But how can we know if is spring? How can we see it? We are looking at this picture and we are representing a forest. There is not a snow in it, but still cold. There are not leaves on the trees, the trees are nude. But there are clear and sharp shadows of the trees, there is a clear sky, there is a gentle diffident foliage, there are clear-cut “carved” clouds. They soar in the sky they are like birds.
If I am asked: “What is spring? and is it a woman?”
They will be surprised by my answer. Spring is not a young woman. It’s different. And which is this spring ? I’ll tell you next time…