Pushkin 

Curator: Let's turn our attention now to "Pushkin" a compelling portrait attributed to Valentin Khrushch. The medium is mixed—pastel and charcoal on paper, combining for an intriguing texture. Editor: Oh, that's moody! The heavy use of charcoal, it's practically swallowing the figure in shadow, but the pastel gives the face just enough warmth to draw you in. I can almost feel the texture of the paper just looking at it. Curator: Absolutely. And it is this interplay between darkness and light, figure and ground that exemplifies what is labeled as expressionist or even neo-expressionist aesthetic. How do you see the making present? Editor: Well, I see this very intuitive building of layers of color and marks making a likeness. I get a sense that this was a raw, unfiltered response of the artist; there’s so much energy and gesture in those swirls depicting Pushkin’s hair. It makes you think about how his words were also energetic and untamed in their time. Curator: I am interested in how this contrasts with academic art of Pushkin. We cannot know with certainty the intent or historical data but in an interesting way the materiality—pastel, charcoal and paper—lends itself to that effect of a quick capturing. It is through simple means of art production that a portrait evokes a lasting effect. Editor: True. The materials feel accessible, unpretentious even. This feels like a portrait by someone who really connected with Pushkin on a human level rather than placing him on a pedestal, don't you think? Curator: That reading of the material, is spot-on. This rendering steers clear of heroic depictions, instead zeroing in on that emotional depth, and doing so in such a direct fashion with rather common drawing tools. The dark space amplifies that sensibility and invites a much closer and perhaps contemporary reflection on what Pushkin evokes in our moment. Editor: Indeed. Looking at it again, the drawing has grown on me! So haunting, raw, full of life... Or perhaps just full of potential. A great piece. Curator: Indeed! Thank you for joining me in discussing Pushkin and for pointing out his emotive appeal today.