Portrait of a Boy 1928

Chaim Soutine painted this *Portrait of a Boy* with oils on canvas. Oil paint has a marvelous capacity for texture, and Soutine uses it to full advantage here. Look at the way he has applied the pigment, thick and gestural, almost like plaster. This isn't the smooth, polished surface we associate with traditional portraiture. Instead, we get a sense of the sheer labor involved. The paint itself becomes almost sculptural, a record of the artist's physical engagement with the work. The visible brushstrokes are a clue. The painting gains a kind of authenticity, like a trace of the artist's own hand. This is particularly important when we consider Soutine's background, the poverty and hardship he experienced. By emphasizing the materiality of the paint, he connects the image to the world of manual work. Ultimately, the painting reminds us that even a seemingly straightforward image carries within it a whole world of material, making, and social context. It invites us to look beyond the surface and consider the human effort embedded in every work of art.