Portrait of Salome Andronnikova 1922

Alexandre Jacovleff made this portrait of Salome Andronikova in sanguine, a reddish chalk. It's a drawing, but with the weight of a painting. The earthy tone gives the whole thing a warm, fleshy feel. Notice the way Jacovleff uses line, not just to outline, but to build up the form, almost like he's sculpting with the chalk. There’s a real tension between precision and looseness in this work, the fine, detailed rendering of her face against the more gestural treatment of her dress. That dress, with its folds and gathers, looks like it’s about to slip right off her shoulders. There’s a timeless quality, a sort of classical vibe, that reminds me of Ingres. But there's also something raw and immediate about the marks, reminding us that art is, fundamentally, about touch and the physical act of making. It's a conversation, a back-and-forth between the artist, the subject, and the materials.