Portrait of F.I. Chaliapin as Holofernes

Mediums: canvas, tempera, gouache, pastel.
Location: State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow (Russia).

Among the wonderful theatrical portraits of the great singer, this one is the most genre work. The painting reproduces the mise-en-scene from the opera “Judith”: Chaliapin-Holofern reclines in a lavishly tented tent. The composition of the picture is built according to the laws of easel painting: the bed located frontally to the viewer is so luxurious that the rich clothes of the Assyrian commander almost merge with it and the emphasis on the black-bearded hero, whose eyes sparkle, becomes more expressive. The view of the depicted one and the lighting used arbitrarily make the painting similar to fresco. A wave-like movement coming from a hand extended in an arrogant gesture pointing forward permeates the canvas. The colours of the work of art are vibrant and generally similar to a kind of decor with patterns and draperies.