Sketch of makeup for Satan to "Diary of Satan" (by L. Andreev) 1922

Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin made this sketch of makeup for Satan in 1922. You can really see Petrov-Vodkin thinking through the character, using these thin washes of color, mostly earth tones, that feel very considered, not dashed off. I love how the paint is so transparent, allowing the paper to breathe through, especially around the figure’s head, giving this kind of ethereal quality. The face is built up of layered strokes, almost like the planes of a sculpture, and there is this intense, dark stare, which adds such a psychological weight to the piece. Then, notice how the robe is rendered with these quick, decisive strokes, a contrast to the face, lending a sense of dynamism. Petrov-Vodkin’s explorations of color and form remind me a little of early Cézanne, that same searching for underlying structures, but here, applied to the theatre. It’s a reminder that art is always in conversation, borrowing and building upon what came before.