Portrait of I. F. Tyumenev 1886

Andrei Ryabushkin made this portrait of I. F. Tyumenev with oil on canvas. Here, the artist uses materials and techniques of the Old Masters, to portray a distinctly modern subject. Note how Ryabushkin has applied the paint. The brushwork isn't about surface finish or polish, but about capturing a likeness. You can see he is trying to capture the sitter's essence; his intelligence. And, of course, the painting’s value resides precisely in this act of labor. The artist has made a direct transaction, exchanging time and skill for money. Consider the sitter too. He’s surrounded by objects indicative of the knowledge economy: manuscripts, books, and writing implements. Ryabushkin elevates Tyumenev through the very act of representing him. And this is what painting still offered in the late nineteenth century: not just a likeness, but a kind of immortality. This work beautifully represents that moment in history. It reminds us that paintings, when considered in relation to labor, social class, and consumption, reveal unique stories.