Portrait of Ioannis Soukaras 1954

Panayiotis Tetsis made this portrait of Ioannis Soukaras in oil paint. The marks! So bold and full of life. You can really see the artist building up the image through layers, a true process of discovery. Look at the way Tetsis handles the paint. It's thick and juicy, especially in the face, where he uses these short, directional strokes to give Ioannis a real sense of presence. There's a rawness to it, an honesty. The colors, even the dark browns and blues, vibrate with a kind of energy. It's not about perfection. The brushstrokes around the eyes really pull me in; it's like I can feel the artist working through the question of how to capture a person's essence. It puts me in mind of Fairfield Porter’s portraits – they both have this knack for making the everyday feel extraordinary, finding the beauty in the imperfect. Ultimately, it's a reminder that art is always a conversation, never a final statement.