Portrait of V. Zamirailo 1922

Boris Kustodiev made this drawing, Portrait of V. Zamirailo, at an unknown date, using what looks like graphite pencil on paper. The whole thing is about touch, right? The way he makes these marks, light and dark, they build up a sense of volume, but it's so fragile. Look at how he’s constructed the hair, short almost brutal marks that become softer as the eye moves down to the rendering of the neck and collar. It's like he's feeling his way around the form, not trying to nail it, but just letting the drawing emerge. And the pressure of the pencil changes, doesn't it? It’s more definite around the eyes and nose, and softer everywhere else, so the whole face becomes this kind of landscape of tone. Kustodiev lets us see the process. It's not about hiding the effort but showing it, and in that showing, there's a kind of honesty. It reminds me a bit of some of Degas' drawings, that same sense of line being both descriptive and expressive, but maybe with a bit more tenderness. But like all art, it's more about asking questions than giving answers, right?