Portrait of Else Prior Havemann 1940

Filipp Malyavin painted this portrait of Else Prior Havemann, and it looks like he finished it in 1940. Look at how Malyavin has handled the paint: the pigment has been applied in layers, and you can see the build-up of texture, especially on the dress. The blues are almost creamy, thick enough to eat with a spoon! I imagine him pushing the paint around the canvas, trying to capture the subtle shifts in colour and light. I find myself wondering what Else was thinking as she sat for this portrait. Her hands are clasped gently in her lap. Was she nervous or excited to be immortalized in paint? Her pose seems staged and somewhat uncomfortable, and there’s an attempt to convey an aura of grace and poise. I can imagine Malyavin and Else in a collaborative dance, each trying to bring something of themselves to the surface. Painters are always in conversation, working through similar formal challenges to find an expression of the world, and I can see echoes of artists like John Singer Sargent, each offering their unique response to the human condition.