A Man in the World 1925

Pavel Filonov made “A Man in the World”, and goodness, it’s like he's building up a world, brick by brick, in this painting. The texture is intense, look at the way he layers those reds and blues, creating this mosaic of faces and forms. It feels like he’s trying to capture not just the surface of things, but the whole inner world of a person. See how each tiny stroke adds to the overall density, it’s almost overwhelming, like a crowd of thoughts and feelings all vying for attention. The face at the top left, gazing directly out at us, with its intense stare, it reminds me of a Byzantine icon, but fractured, modern. Filonov seems to be saying something about the complexities of being human, how we’re all made up of so many different parts, constantly shifting and changing. It feels related to the work of Francis Bacon, with its focus on the raw, visceral experience of existence, it’s like a scream trapped in paint. Ultimately, this painting is a reminder that art can hold many, many things.