Portrait of a student 1916

Aleksandr Deyneka made this portrait of a student with pencil on paper. It’s interesting how just a few strokes can conjure a whole person, right? The drawing feels immediate, like it was done in one sitting. Look at the way Deyneka uses cross-hatching to create shadows on the face and hair. It's almost like he's sculpting the form with his pencil. The lines are confident, not fussy. There is a real economy to the work, and the paper is left untouched in areas to describe the planes of the face. Notice the ear, how it has been described by a single line, with the negative space creating the form. It’s all about suggestion, implying form rather than defining it. Deyneka’s approach reminds me of other artists like Käthe Kollwitz who use drawing as a way to explore the human condition. Both artists seem to embrace the inherent messiness and ambiguity of life. Ultimately, the power of this portrait lies in its simplicity and directness, which invites us to contemplate the inner life of this anonymous student.