Portrait of Olga Petrova 1922

This is Rolf Armstrong’s ‘Portrait of Olga Petrova’ made with pastel on paper. Just look at the application of pastel here, creating the softest edges, building up form with tone and colour – the orange underpainting sings through in places, uniting the composition. It’s a portrait made of marks, and yet, it’s remarkably representational, like a high-fashion advertisement. I like to imagine Armstrong making this. Was he trying to impress Petrova, or was this just another job? I wonder if he was looking at the portraiture of John Singer Sargent. Maybe the work of those artists gave him confidence to lay down the pastel so confidently, to let each stroke stand for so much. There’s a real mastery of materials here that resonates through time and inspires those of us who’ve followed. Because that’s what art is, right? An ongoing conversation.