Portrait of Vsevolod Voinov 1924

Boris Kustodiev made this portrait of Vsevolod Voinov using watercolour, and the way the colour seeps into the paper feels so immediate, like a snapshot of a fleeting moment. The whole image is built up through these gentle washes, areas bleeding into each other, creating soft edges. Look at the way the collar of Voinov's shirt is rendered with a few simple strokes, it's there but barely defined. It's all about suggestion, trusting the viewer to fill in the gaps. The glasses are really interesting. The way the light hits them, the frames almost disappear, it gives him an intellectual, slightly mysterious air. Kustodiev was clearly interested in the process of painting itself, allowing the materiality of the medium to be visible, rather than trying to hide it. It reminds me a little of some of Egon Schiele's portraits, that same raw, honest quality. It’s not so much about capturing a perfect likeness, but more about capturing a feeling, an impression.