Countess Maria Vorontsova 

Editor: Here we have Dmitry Levitzky's "Countess Maria Vorontsova," an oil painting, with that classic Romantic and Rococo sensibility. She's just lovely, with that knowing smile, isn’t she? What strikes you most about this portrait? Curator: Oh, she’s captivating! For me, it's the softness. The way the light just seems to caress her face. Do you see how Levitzky uses these subtle gradations of color to give her skin such a luminous quality? It's almost as if she's lit from within, glowing with a delicate, almost ethereal, light. And that slight smile - is it mischievous, is it melancholic? Perhaps both? It invites us in. I imagine Levitzky capturing not just her likeness, but her spirit too, capturing her vivacious energy. Do you sense it as well? Editor: I do. There is an air of mystique that is almost playful. You touched upon the ethereal, do you think that effect can be achieved without perfect symmetry? Curator: Absolutely! Look closely at the eyes – are they exactly the same size, or aligned in precisely the same way? No, of course not. And thank goodness for that! It’s those imperfections, the little quirks that make her real, that breathe life into the canvas. Perfection can be beautiful, yes, but isn't there something more human, more relatable, in this dance of light and shadow, these intentional imperfections? I also think, it speaks of that turbulent political context in which she lived, when societal conventions could collapse as quickly as the subject class! Don't you think so? Editor: I now have a greater appreciation for portraits that leave something to be interpreted by viewers like myself! I'll remember that the next time I visit the gallery. Curator: Excellent, and that's all an artwork wants of us!