Portrait of I.B. Kustodieva 1906

Boris Kustodiev painted this portrait of I.B. Kustodieva with what looks like oil on canvas, and the brushwork really animates the whole scene. I can imagine Kustodiev standing back, squinting, then leaning in close to lay down these delicious strokes. Look at the way the colors blend in her dress, those soft blues and whites creating a gentle, almost dreamy effect. It’s a sweet, quiet moment, captured with such a lively touch. The texture here isn't super thick, but you can still feel the movement of the brush, the drag of the paint across the surface. Notice the loose handling of the background, how it almost dissolves into abstraction? That gives the figure this lovely sense of presence, as if she's stepping out of the painting. You get the feeling that Kustodiev was really trying to get at something essential, something beyond just a likeness. He was trying to grab at something deeply personal, a moment suspended in time. We can see echoes of painters like Renoir. All artists are inspired by each other's process, in a constant exchange. That little blue bow looks like a brushstroke to me – beautiful.