Portrait of a Woman (A.V. Rzhevuskaya) 1909

Boris Kustodiev painted this portrait of A.V. Rzhevuskaya in oil, probably in his studio, maybe even on commission. I love the confidence of the brushwork and the colour palette. It feels so assured. I can imagine him working on the painting, responding to it, shifting things around, trying to capture the likeness, but also making a painting that holds its own as a material object. You know, paint! The textures are amazing. The fur stole is thick and soft, contrasting with the smoothness of the dress and the background. The paint is applied thinly in some areas, like in the face, and thickly in others. I love that Kustodiev’s painting can also be seen as a conversation with artists across time, each influencing and inspiring the other's vision. In the end, painting is this embodied expression, embracing ambiguity and uncertainty.