Self Portrait 1914

Boris Kustodiev made this self-portrait with charcoal on paper, and you can really see the immediacy of that mark making process. The strokes are confident, yet there's a vulnerability in the softness of the charcoal, like a whisper of self-revelation. Look at the way he's rendered his crossed arms, those bold, almost impatient lines, then compare that to the more delicate hatching around his face. It's like he's built himself up, layer by layer, thought by thought. There’s a wonderful contrast between the finished areas, like the face, and the unfinished quality of the body. This reminds me of Manet and the way he left parts of his paintings unresolved, which is interesting when you consider the nature of self-portraiture, how you can never truly know yourself.