Self-Portrait 

Konstantin Egorovich Makovsky created this self-portrait with pastel on paper. Pastel is an interesting choice. Not quite drawing, not quite painting, it sits in between. The dry pigment gives the work a soft, almost powdered look, very different from the slickness you'd get with oil paint. Makovsky achieves a remarkable level of detail, especially in his face, with very subtle gradations of color. The way the pastel is applied, almost like a dusting, lends the work a certain immediacy. You can imagine him quickly capturing his likeness in a mirror. This immediacy also speaks to the changing social status of the artist at the time. It's as though Makovsky is saying, 'I am the subject, I am the maker, and I can create an image of myself with speed and skill.' It elevates not only the finished portrait to the status of fine art but also the labor that is involved in the process. By bringing these two things together Makovsky blurs the line between fine art and craft.