Portrait of the writer N.B. Nordman-Severova, the artist's wife 1911

Ilya Repin painted this portrait of his wife, the writer N.B. Nordman-Severova, in 1911, using oil on canvas. Repin lays down these broken strokes and daubs of paint with such confidence! You can really see the way he is feeling his way around the form. I love how the whole painting shimmers with browns, greens, and blacks, but it is the face that draws you in. The way that he has modeled the light on her face, using these fleshy pinks and off-whites, is so evocative. Look closely at the way that the paint handles the dark areas of the composition. The textures are so varied and layered that the image feels both solid and fleeting, permanent and transient. The bravura handling of paint reminds me of Frans Hals, another painter who could capture a likeness with a few deft strokes. Ultimately, art is about possibility, and Repin reminds us to keep our minds—and our eyes—open to new ways of seeing.