Portrait of Prince George Lvov 1920

Alexandre Jacovleff created this portrait of Prince George Lvov using sanguine on paper. Sanguine is one of the oldest drawing techniques, and Jacovleff’s take feels fresh. Look at the way he's built up the form with layers, almost like he’s sculpting with the crayon. You can almost see him working, hatching lines, stepping back, and then building it up again. I wonder if he’s thinking of someone like Holbein when he makes this? Holbein who could get a likeness so real it would be like the person was standing right in front of you. Jacovleff is doing something a little different. He's not just trying to capture the prince's face, but also a sense of who he is, his presence, his inner life. It’s almost like he’s having a conversation with the prince, each mark, each line, a response to the person in front of him. The history of painting is all about looking, responding, and finding your own voice in the mix.