Portrait of I.B. Kustodieva, daughter of the artist 1919

Curator: Before us is Boris Kustodiev's "Portrait of I.B. Kustodieva, daughter of the artist", created in 1919. Editor: There's an immediate serenity about it. It’s a gentle drawing, almost ethereal with the limited palette and delicate lines. The young woman’s gaze is direct, but there's also a certain pensiveness. Curator: Consider the historical context: 1919 Russia was a tumultuous time of revolution and civil war. A portrait of one's daughter suggests a need for intimacy, a wish to keep dear things safe from this broader societal upheaval. Perhaps even to emphasize domestic values threatened at the time. Editor: The choice of drawing as a medium, specifically, feels deliberate. It's immediate and personal, quite unlike the grand oil portraits typically commissioned by the wealthy at that time. Given the widespread poverty and shortage of supplies in post-revolutionary Russia, one might argue that a work like this, created out of readily available materials, is making a pointed statement about the value of human connection over material extravagance. Curator: And there is an undeniable tenderness visible in the depiction. Notice how Kustodiev used such subtle shading to convey her youthful complexion and her hairstyle typical of young girls. The material is pastel, and it is giving a sensitive quality to the rendering of the young lady. Editor: But the fact it is his daughter surely impacts its reading, and indeed its making. Was it intended for public view, or as an intimate portrayal for the family? Perhaps it serves as a powerful reminder that amidst monumental political changes, the importance of family endures. Its existence underscores a persistent element of humanity which often get overshadowed by public displays of power and ideologies. Curator: Indeed. Focusing on portraiture at a time where Constructivism or Suprematism reigned supreme can be seen as both a conscious distancing, but maybe, above all, as a preservation of fundamental values of pre-revolutionary society through personal portraiture. Editor: The creation of artwork always comes with historical, social, and individual dimensions. Seeing all the underlying values in portrait like this is rewarding and it does not overshadow a sensitive approach to its making in drawing.