Portrait of Sergei Rachmaninoff 

Boris Grigoriev painted this portrait of Sergei Rachmaninoff using gouache, a type of opaque watercolor, likely on paper or board. The characterization is achieved through subtle modulations of tone, which are built up through many thin layers. Look closely, and you’ll see the artist made no attempt to conceal the marks of his labor: individual brushstrokes are visible throughout the work. The handling of the paint creates an almost sculptural effect, the face appearing as though molded from clay. Grigoriev was working in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, a period when traditional hierarchies of art were being challenged. The portrait arguably reflects this shift in sensibility; the deliberate visibility of the artist's hand refusing to hide the labor involved in its production. The use of gouache, a relatively humble material, further emphasizes this unpretentious approach. In the end, it is the very materiality and process of this painting that lend it such expressive power, reminding us that all art is, at its core, a product of human effort and skill.