Portrait of Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov 1874

Ivan Kramskoy painted this portrait of Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov using oil on canvas. Kramskoy’s application of paint is rather economic, without being particularly expressive. Here we have none of the bravura brushwork that was then fashionable in Europe, nor is there evidence of underpainting or glazing, techniques that would have involved substantial labor. Instead, we see a fairly direct translation of observed reality into paint, especially in the way that the sitter’s garments are described. The dark jacket is broadly handled, with little articulation of its material qualities. More attention is given to the face, and especially to the sitter’s beard. It is a competent likeness, but one made with a minimum of fuss. This seems appropriate for an image of a writer, who after all is most interested in the direct transmission of ideas. We might say that in its very efficiency, Kramskoy’s portrait honors the spirit of industry, of production, and of a work ethic.