Portrait of V. V. Ivanov 1941

Pyotr Konchalovsky painted this portrait of V. V. Ivanov in 1940, using oil on canvas. Look at the way Konchalovsky builds up the image with these distinct, almost chunky brushstrokes. It's like he's laying down these tiles of color, one next to the other, letting them breathe and vibrate against each other. The browns and reds, especially in the jacket, have this warm, earthy quality. But then there are the cooler blues and grays in the background, keeping things interesting. Focus on the face: the way he captures the light on the forehead, the subtle shadows around the eyes, the determined set of the mouth. There's a real sense of presence there. It feels like Konchalovsky is capturing something essential about this person, not just their likeness. It makes me think a bit of someone like Oskar Kokoschka, in the way he’s really getting at something of the inner life of the sitter. Anyway, who knows, maybe painting is a conversation, right?