Portrait of N.G. Aleksandrov 1914

This is a portrait of N.G. Aleksandrov, made in 1914 by Boris Kustodiev. It's all in pencil. Just look at how Kustodiev is handling this drawing – the subtle shifts in tone, the softness of line. I imagine him standing there, charcoal in hand, gently coaxing the figure out of the paper. What's so compelling is the expression of his gaze, and the way the lines of his face give us a sense of inner thought. This drawing is a quiet reminder of the power of simplicity and the beauty of the human form. It kind of reminds me of my own work, really, the way that it uses line to create form and emotion. There's a beautiful conversation happening between artists across time, each building on the work of those who came before. We painters just keep on looking and learning from each other.