The artist is unknown
Dates from hairstyle and suit. Stylistic analysis and data of technological research do not allow you to agree with authorship a. G. Varneka. Perhaps the portrait is a preparatory study for the work of larger sizes. In any case, the compositional cut, light plastic modeling concentrates attention on very specific physiognomic and emotional and psychological features of the model: age, sharp view, a hidden grin-that is, the features of a figurative interpretation of the pre-war stage in the history of Russian art of the middle of the XIX century. Due to the specifics of the development of painting of this period (expanding the circle of professionals, the emergence of many amateurs), many attributes of the authorship of the portrait have not been resolved to date.
N. X. Unknown artist. SPb, 2012. With. 170.
