Vladimir Mayakovsky 

Jury Annenkov rendered this portrait of Vladimir Mayakovsky using pencil on paper. Annenkov's choice of materials directly informs the artwork's character: the graphite pencil, with its capacity for both precision and smudging, lends a raw, immediate quality to the image. The tooth of the paper, just visible beneath the strokes, adds texture, emphasizing the artist’s hand. The use of a relatively accessible medium like pencil connects this portrait to a broader tradition of draftsmanship and illustration, rather than oil painting, for instance. This approach underscores the power of accessible, reproducible media in disseminating images of revolutionary figures like Mayakovsky, whose poetry and persona were integral to the cultural landscape. The sketch possesses a potent social context, capturing the likeness of a significant figure, with quickness and directness. Through the intentional choice of humble materials, Annenkov challenges the notion of art as a rarefied commodity, rooting it instead in the realities of everyday life. It reminds us that understanding the materials and methods of production is key to grasping an artwork's significance.