N.A. Mudrogel in the pose of Pavel Tretyakov in halls of the gallery 1904

Ilya Repin made this painting of N.A. Mudrogel, posed as Pavel Tretyakov, with oils, at an unknown date. It’s like he's saying, "art is a process, a set of relations." Repin's surfaces are always interesting. He had such a sensitive touch and was always trying to push the boundaries of representation. Look closely and you'll see how he builds up the paint in layers, creating a sense of depth and texture. The brushstrokes are visible and expressive, giving the painting a real sense of energy. The way he renders the gallery space, packed with golden frames, and then that buttery, yellowish foreground, is so evocative. Note the way he suggests the highlights on Mudrogel’s hands. They are both solid and ephemeral. I'm reminded of a painter like Courbet, with his commitment to capturing the immediacy of lived experience. Repin leaves us with the question, where does the portrait end, and the life begin?