Portrait of Sylvester Golubovsky 1933

Oleksa Novakivskyi made this oil painting, Portrait of Sylvester Golubovsky, with visible brushstrokes and a muted color palette. I can almost feel the thick, textured paint, built up layer upon layer. I wonder what Novakivskyi was thinking as he painted Golubovsky’s beard, so full and white? He's really focused on the hands, too - Golubovsky seems to be holding something precious. Perhaps Novakivskyi was trying to capture the essence of his sitter, not just his likeness. There's a real connection in the way he's rendered the landscape behind him, the river flowing like time itself. It reminds me of other portrait painters, like Alice Neel, who aimed to capture the psychological depth of their subjects. Artists are always in conversation, you know, building on each other's work, pushing the boundaries of what painting can do. This painting feels open, like a question, inviting us to consider what it means to truly see someone.