Seeing off M.V. Dobuzhinsky in Europe 1924

Boris Kustodiev made this pencil drawing, "Seeing off M.V. Dobuzhinsky in Europe" to capture a moment. It's all about the process, you can see how the artist explored the scene, the marks are tentative. The texture is smooth, and the pencil lines create a sense of depth. Notice how Kustodiev uses shading to give volume to the figures, but also leaves a lot of the paper untouched, creating a hazy, dreamlike effect. Look at the faces of the men around the table. There's something very raw and immediate, a kind of psychological insight, in how quickly he's captured their features. It's almost like a caricature, but a very tender one. Thinking of other artists like Daumier, who also had a knack for capturing the essence of people in a few quick strokes. This work is not about perfection but about feeling and seeing.