Portrait of Shtitelman Fanna 1981

Editor: Right, so here we have Petros Malayan’s "Portrait of Shtitelman Fanna" from 1981. It's a pencil drawing, a seemingly simple portrait, but the gaze is so intense! I am really struck by the weight that seems to hang in those eyes, even in just a sketch. What pulls you in when you look at this piece? Curator: Well, it feels like a window, doesn’t it? A window into not just Fanna's face, but Malayan’s interpretation of her soul, however fleeting. I mean, look at the way he uses these energetic lines, almost frantic in places around the hair, and then settles into these softer, deliberate strokes for the face. It makes you wonder, what was their encounter like? A tense exchange? A brief but insightful sitting? He certainly didn't hold back from showing us the wrinkles and creases. What does that communicate to you? Editor: I suppose the detail hints at an attempt to capture an honesty… a lived experience? I mean it's not exactly flattering, is it? Yet there is an undeniable respect in the overall image. Curator: Exactly! It's that raw humanity that leaps off the page. It reminds me that even in realism, there's a negotiation happening between the artist, the subject, and the art itself. How does the medium itself shape this interaction, in your opinion? Editor: Good point. The use of pencil gives it an immediacy that you wouldn't get with, say, oils. It feels so direct, unvarnished... vulnerable, almost. It invites you to search for details of human character. Curator: Beautifully put. It’s like Malayan is whispering, “Here, look closely.” And in doing so, reveals as much about himself as he does about Fanna. It really begs the question of how well you can really "know" somebody from an image, but I definitely see the interplay you’re getting at. Editor: Definitely something I'll be mulling over after this! Thanks for sharing those insights.