Gouache Samarkand, artist Maxim Babich

• Artist: Maxim Babich
• Title: "Samarkand"
• Year: 2020
• Size: 42 × 56 cm
• Materials: hardboard, gouache, watercolour
• Original handmade artwork

This vertical work takes the viewer into the inner courtyard of an old Eastern architectural ensemble. On three sides the courtyard is surrounded by two-tiered arcades with pointed niches and portals, and above them rises a large ribbed dome crowned with a slender finial and crescent. On the left, the top of a minaret appears above the wall; on the right, a massive sunlit portal with a row of arches. The lower part of the work is taken up by a paved courtyard across which soft shadows glide. Deep within one of the right-hand arches a pale human figure can be made out, emphasising the scale of the architecture. The perspective of the courtyard leads the eye from the foreground to the central niche and on to the dome against a clear sky.

The work is executed in gouache and watercolour on hardboard. The artist builds the image from many small separate strokes and dots of colour that resemble pieces of mosaic or the pattern of glazed tiles for which Eastern architecture is famous. This approach is close to post-impressionism: the outlines of arches and cornices are not drawn rigidly but are assembled from patches of colour, and the walls seem to vibrate with light. Dense opaque gouache sits beside more transparent areas, so the surface looks lively and textured. The dome is painted with small vertical strokes that convey its ribbed form and the shimmer of the tiles.

The palette combines various shades of blue — from ultramarine and cobalt to turquoise and sky azure — with warm ochre, sandy and golden-yellow tones. Blue tiles alternate with white and cream highlights, and the whole architecture seems light, as if bleached by the midday sun. The clear blue sky above the dome heightens the sense of a hot day. Shadows in the niches are painted not in black but in rich blue and green, so even deep inside the arches there is a sense of air and coolness. The work conveys the silence of an ancient courtyard and the solemnity of Eastern architecture.

Besides easel painting in oil, Maxim Babich works in gouache and watercolour. Impressionism is the main direction of his work, and in this piece, as in his paintings, he paints above all sunlight and colour.

At 42 × 56 cm, "Samarkand" will fit naturally into a living room, study, library or office, especially in interiors with Eastern motifs and warm wooden and textile accents. The blue-and-gold palette goes well with light walls and creates a sense of space in the room. It is a fine gift for a lover of travel and architecture, for a colleague or business partner, and for anyone connected with the East or dreaming of a journey through ancient cities. The work is unframed; a frame of your choice is recommended for a gouache.