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THE COOPERATIVE WORK PROCESS
(From an interview by Professor Nikita Pokrovsky with the artist Anton Kumankov)

VI

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don't embellish the portraits of my models, whether male or female. I don't want to represent them as younger, slimmer, more mysterious, than they look in real life. To lie in art is a dangerous thing. This topic is covered in a wonderful way in Gogol's novel "Portrait". But that doesn't at all mean that I don't strive to see the more appealing characteristics of a person, both external and internal. I hope that one could say of me that I am a benevolent person, and because of this I don't see any reason to begin work on a portrait if the model's appearance isn't appealing to me. I want for her or him to look attractive in the portrait. I want to put a person in his best light, and not create an "expose" of a sarcastic character. What for? That would be dishonest.

child's portrait is a separate issue. By the way, I should say that it happens to be work that is a favorite specialty of mine. Here the process itself plays a special role. Children are not able to pose patiently, so during the sitting you must entertain them, dreaming up ways of making it like play. But all the technical and organizational complications crumble before the opportunity to be associated with the world of childhood. I'm not going to speak grandiose words about this world. Let's just agree that it exists and that it is priceless for all of us. And then children, perhaps, are the most grateful and appreciative viewers of their own portrait. They understand that to accomplish all this there must be some kind of miracle where, as a result, a small person is literally recreated in the universe. He's real, in the flesh. And now he's also in the portrait. And that's him too. You see a peculiar focus appear in the eyes of the model. And that's always a treat for a small person. And for the artist too.

Girl with Dragonfly

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