Portrait of S. Shervinsky 1939

Martiros Sarian made this portrait of S. Shervinsky with oil on canvas, though we don't have the specific date. It’s so loose, so fast, but also very considered. Looking closely, the paint seems to be applied wet-on-wet, with juicy brushstrokes building up the form. There’s this incredible tension between the specificity of the face and the expressive handling of the paint. See how the colors vibrate around the eyes, a kind of fleshy pink against the pale blue? And the almost crude strokes that define the jacket? The physicality of the medium is right there on the surface, revealing the artist’s process in all its messy glory. It reminds me a little of some of those early Matisse portraits. Both artists share a similar interest in the expressive potential of color and brushwork. But in the end, it’s all about the conversation, right? Each artist riffing on what came before, pushing things in new directions, always questioning, always searching.