Portrait of P. Salomon 1903

Boris Kustodiev captured this portrait of P. Salomon with oils on canvas. The painting feels like a fleeting glimpse, doesn't it? I imagine Kustodiev, quickly capturing the light as it glances off Salomon's face, his beard. You can almost feel the energy of the brushstrokes, the way he built up the form with layers of color, scumbling and glazing. I wonder what Salomon was thinking as he sat for the portrait. Was he bored? Proud? Impatient? Kustodiev's choice to paint him in profile makes me think about Russian icons, or ancient roman busts, like he's trying to immortalize him. Maybe the red sash is important to the image, or maybe it was just the brightest thing in the room. Anyway, he’s part of an ongoing conversation about how to capture a likeness, how to convey something essential about a person through paint. Think about Manet, think about Velázquez, think about all the artists who came before and after, wrestling with the same questions.