Deserter 1917

Ilya Repin painted this portrait, Deserter, with oils on canvas, probably sometime around 1917. Look how the marks aren't trying to hide, they build up to make the form. It’s not blended into oblivion, and the color isn't fussed over, but it all comes together. Up close, the brushstrokes are thick and juicy, swimming in light. Notice the squiggles of warm paint around his face, really giving it a glow. Then there’s the confident strokes outlining his drab coat, all browns, grays, and just a touch of green. It all feels immediate, not overworked. The physicality of the paint, the way it sits on the surface, gives the image a life of its own. You see the same in someone like Lovis Corinth, that searching line, and almost violent, expressive brushwork, but with Repin, there's a sense of searching for something in the sitter too. It's like he's trying to work it out as he's going. That's what makes art so exciting – the possibility of endless interpretations.