sitter. 1913 Kuzma Sergeevich Petrov-Vodkin (1878-1939)

The drawing presents a male figure in a dynamic, contorted pose. He is depicted nude, his body angled sharply across the composition. The artist has employed charcoal with considerable expressive force; the marks are loose and energetic, contributing to a sense of immediacy and movement. Light falls dramatically from the upper left, highlighting the musculature of the torso and creating deep shadows that define form.
The figure’s head is tilted back, his eyes closed or averted, suggesting an inward focus or perhaps a moment of physical exertion bordering on discomfort. His arms are raised, one reaching upwards as if supporting himself, while the other appears to be bracing against something unseen. The posture conveys a feeling of instability and vulnerability; he seems caught between balance and collapse.
The background is rendered with broad, sweeping strokes that lack detail, serving primarily to emphasize the figure’s isolation and the intensity of his physical state. These indistinct forms could suggest an ambiguous space or perhaps simply function as a means of directing attention towards the central subject. The artists signature appears in the lower right corner, executed in a similar charcoal style.
Beyond the purely representational aspects, the drawing seems to explore themes of physicality and psychological tension. The figure’s contorted pose and closed eyes hint at an internal struggle or a moment of intense introspection. There is a sense of raw emotion conveyed through the expressive use of charcoal and the dynamic composition. Its possible that the work intends to capture not just the appearance of the body, but also its inherent fragility and capacity for both strength and vulnerability.