Portrait of R.I. Notgaft 1909

Boris Kustodiev painted this portrait of R.I. Notgaft with oil on canvas, and straight away I’m drawn to the colours, that incredible, muted palette. The blues, greys, and lilacs create this quiet, contemplative mood, but the strokes themselves feel somehow energetic. Looking closer, you can see how Kustodiev builds up the surface with these small brushstrokes, almost like he’s knitting the image together. The paint isn’t too thick, but it’s definitely present, giving the whole thing a tactile quality. And then there’s the rose! It's like a little burst of life right in the middle of all that gentle calm. The details in the pattern on the dress, too, are just delicious. Kustodiev, with his folksy, almost naive style, shares a kinship with artists like Henri Rousseau, who also found a unique way to blend the real and the imagined. Ultimately, it’s about how these choices invite us to see the world, or maybe just this corner of it, in a new way.