Portrait of An Actor Said To Be Nikolai Alexandrov 1923

Boris Grigoriev painted this portrait of an actor, possibly Nikolai Alexandrov, with oil on canvas. I love how Grigoriev’s swift, almost brutal brushstrokes build form and convey character here. It's a real testament to the immediacy of paint. Look closely at the figure’s face; the skin tones are rendered with these quick, directional strokes, almost like he’s mapping the planes of the face with color. The texture is so alive! The actor’s gaze is intense. There's a raw, unsentimental quality to the way the artist has captured his features. Notice the blobby knot at his chest, which is rendered in dark tones – it has a real earthy quality to it. I’m reminded of Chaïm Soutine’s portraits; both artists share a certain expressionistic approach, a kind of emotional intensity in their handling of paint. Art is always a conversation, right? And this portrait, with its bold strokes and unapologetic rawness, it’s just bursting with feeling.