Description of the painting by Peter Konchalovsky “Self-portrait with his wife” (1923)

Description of the painting by Peter Konchalovsky Self portrait with his wife (1923)

The canvas is rectilinearly reminiscent of the Rembrandt motive of the self-portrait with Saskia. By this the artist marks the immortality and modernity of the chosen topic. In the rich, colorful, material painting of a double portrait, a new style of the artist emerges – realism, which picked up the best legacy of the past. Self-portrait becomes the stage of the master’s entire creativity. In this work, the painter praises the matrimonial feelings, raising the glass for the successes and joys achieved together with his wife and girlfriend.

On the canvas, two cheerful, cheerful people are holding glasses of red wine. Means toast dedicated to a happy family life. All the details of the picture confirm the fact that these loving hearts beat in consonance, in the same rhythm. The composition of the portrait is exacting and expressive, convincing and meaningful. With wide, sharp strokes, the author freely and reliably

expresses form. Intense relief paints of the canvas strongly and at the same time delicately express the open human joy. Surprises the naturalness of the image, devoid of hypocrisy, staging. The combination of colorful strokes create a vivid expression of faces, which is saved by fleeting time with warm and generous smiles of the artist and his wife.

The couple is sitting at a small round table, with the woman sitting on her husband’s lap, and he is hugging her around the waist. The room furnishings correspond to the artist’s dwelling: in the background a picture in a gilded frame hangs on the wall, and a curtain in green and red tones with a refined ornament on the right behind the master’s back. The painter himself is wearing a dark olive-colored dressing-gown and a black velvet cap. His contented face is emphasized by mustache and slightly narrowed eyes. The high forehead of the artist, rugged by sharp wrinkles, attracts attention.

The spouse’s face is shown in profile, but there is a blush on the cheeks. On the head is a simple hairstyle with no frills, revealing a completely white skin of the neck. The dress maintains the overall color of the canvas: a black velvet corsage with sleeves of bronze coloring. In fact, for this portrait the female dress was sewn specially according to the master’s design, in order to withstand the coloring in the right colors.


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Description of the painting by Peter Konchalovsky “Self-portrait with his wife” (1923)