Портрет чоловіка 1909

Mykhailo Boychuk made this portrait of a man, sometime in the early 20th century, probably with watercolors, and maybe some gouache. The colors are earthy and muted, the brushstrokes loose and wet. You can really see the hand of the artist, the way the paint moves across the surface is so direct, so immediate. I love how the blue of his jacket just bleeds into the paper, it's not about perfection. There are so many visible brushstrokes, especially around the edges of the figure, which give the whole painting a lively, unfinished quality. Look at the way Boychuk uses the black to outline the figures - it's almost comic, but it brings a kind of solemnity to the work too. It reminds me a little of Rouault, that same kind of dark outlining, and similar to folk art traditions. Boychuk was part of a whole movement in Ukrainian art interested in a kind of renaissance of fresco painting. He wasn't about hiding the process, but really embracing the materiality of paint and the act of making. I find that incredibly inspiring.