Eugene (Portrait of the artist's son) 1917

Zinaida Serebriakova made this portrait of her son, Eugene, with what looks like oil on canvas. The brushstrokes are pretty visible. You can see how the artist built up the image through layers. There's a real sensitivity in the rendering of his face, a sort of quiet observation. I'm drawn to the way the light catches the side of his face and his ear. There’s this lovely contrast between the soft rendering of the boy's face and the more expressive brushwork in the background. It's like she’s playing with different ways of seeing, balancing careful observation with a more gestural approach. The brown and ochre hues create a warm, intimate atmosphere, drawing you into this private moment. It reminds me a bit of Vuillard, actually, who also captured these quiet domestic scenes. You see, art isn't just about what you see, but how you see it, how the artist chooses to show you their world.