Portrait of G. I. Teslenko 1921

Zinaida Serebriakova made this portrait of G. I. Teslenko with what seems to be charcoal or pencil; you can see the quick, searching strokes and the smudging that softens the whole image. You get the feeling Serebriakova captured Teslenko in a fleeting moment, maybe while they were in conversation, and you sense Serebriakova’s hand moving swiftly to catch the likeness and, even more, the mood. Those crossed arms, that slight upward glance—it’s like she’s challenging you, or maybe just sizing you up. I love how the lines around the face are so delicate, and then you get these bold, almost scribbled marks defining the hair and clothing. Serebriakova was part of a generation of Russian artists who were pushing the boundaries of portraiture. You feel she was in conversation with artists like Valentin Serov, who also had a knack for capturing the psychological depth of their sitters. It feels like she’s inviting you to look beyond the surface, into the inner world of her subject and, perhaps, into her own artistic process.