Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev (1878–1927) was called the painter of happiness, the Russian Rubens. This was due to his artistic interest in the models of curvy figures, which was shared by the famous Dutch master of the 16th–17th centuries. His talent was admired by famous cultural figures of the time. Among them were the painter Ilya Efimovich Repin, the opera and chamber singer Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin, and the writer Maxim Gorky.
Boris Mikhailovich devoted about 30 years of his work to the portrait genre. At the beginning of the 20th century, he, along with Isaac Israelevich Brodsky, Alexander Yakovlevich Golovin, Sergei Vasilyevich Malyutin, and Kuzma Sergeevich Petrov-Vodkin, was one of the leading masters of the portrait genre in the country. As one of the best students of Ilya Efimovich Repin, Kustodiev masterfully painted group and children’s portraits, and frequently worked on commission.
Boris Kustodiev finished the “Portrait of a Woman” from the collection of the Gorlovka Art Museum in 1909. The person portrayed was presumably a lady from the noble family of Rzhevusky. The artist executed an emerald background, emphasized the whiteness of the skin and impeccable posture, hinting at noble manners. In his painting, Boris Mikhailovich paid great attention to the look and expression of the model’s face.
The artist’s graphic heritage was very diverse. He worked in wood block printing, lithography, and linocut techniques. The funds of the Gorlovka Art Museum feature seven graphic works by Boris Kustodiev, which he devoted to his favorite topics: merchants and theatrical and decorative art.
