Men's head 1921

Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin made this head study using pen and ink on paper. The graphic quality of the drawing relies on the basic contrast between the white of the paper and the varying density of the black ink. The labor involved is evident in the thousands of tiny strokes that build up the figure. The cross-hatching technique creates subtle gradations of tone. However, this image should be seen in the context of early Soviet art. Traditional drawing skills were seen as bourgeois, yet the imperative remained to produce portraits of the new socialist man. In this context, Petrov-Vodkin’s highly worked drawing becomes a statement in itself, an assertion of the value of artistic labor and the importance of individual expression. The artist uses a traditional medium and a very direct, manual approach to capture the sitter's likeness. By attending to the material and the process, we can appreciate how it engages with both artistic and wider social concerns.