Portrait of Ivan Yershov 1922

Boris Kustodiev made this portrait of Ivan Yershov with what looks like graphite and pastel, judging from the gentle, powdery effect. You can almost feel the artist feeling his way into the image, line by line. Looking at the layering of marks around the eyes, you see the soft gradations of color, the way the shading gives form to the face. Notice the texture of the paper, it seems to breathe beneath the image. It's not just a flat surface; it's part of the artwork, like the air around a figure. Kustodiev coaxes out a real, live person from the page! It reminds me a bit of how Lucian Freud would build up a face with countless tiny strokes, each one adding to the weight and presence of the sitter. Art isn't about perfection, it's about seeing and feeling. The conversation never ends, does it?