Indian Girl 2015

Aleksander Belyaev painted this “Indian Girl,” in 2015. Look at the muted colors he uses to capture the young girl’s face. The brushwork is soft, almost caressing, giving the painting a gentle, melancholic feel. See how the paint is applied in layers, creating a sense of depth? The texture isn't overly smooth; you can feel the presence of the artist's hand, the physicality of the medium. Notice the little red streaks in her braids – they draw you in, adding a flicker of hope against the overall grayness. The way Belyaev renders the details, like the tattered edges of her dress, speaks to a broader theme, maybe of resilience and the quiet strength found in vulnerability. Belyaev's work reminds me a bit of Alice Neel, especially her portraits of children, where the artist doesn't shy away from capturing the raw emotions of childhood. It's like they're both tapping into the shared human experience of being seen, truly seen, in all our complexity.