Sailor (Self-Portrait)

Mediums: tempera, canvas.
Location: The State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg (Russia).

One of the earliest and most famous avant-garde canvases, created under the influence of, first of all, the art of M. Larionov, and, secondly, of Russian icon painting, which the artist studied (for example, he took one of the principles of compositional construction as a basis: a square format combined with a circle that form the main lines of the image). As a sailor, Tatlin made trips from Odessa along two seas. These impressions formed the basis of the painting. The artist combines various textures of paint, sometimes applying it thickly, or using subtle touches in certain areas. The main character is monumental to background objects.