Kustodiev – “Self-portrait”

In 1910, the Italian Minister of Arts invited Serov, Repin and Kustodiev to paint self-portraits for the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

Boris Kustodiev, taking this work very seriously, ponders the concept of the painting for a long time. After doing a lot of sketches, the idea finally becomes clear.

Kustodiev decides to paint himself in winter, in a fur coat and a hat, against the background of the walls and domes of the laurel illuminated by the winter sun. The artist’s dark silhouette contrasts with the white walls of the laurel and the festive landscape that the artist depicted in the background.

The painter does not depict the person being portrayed directly in the landscape – this is only a background, he wants to show himself, a truly Russian artist, who has been striving all his life to glorify traditional Russian views and images in such an unusual environment for a European.

Year of painting: 1912.

The dimensions of the painting are 100 x 85 cm.

Material: cardboard.

Writing technique: tempera.

Genre: self-portrait.

Style: modern.

Gallery: Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy.