Paul Alexandrowitsch Svedomskij

This quiet painter once showed up at a St. Petersburg salon wearing a pair of mismatched boots and refused to take them off, just to see if anyone would notice. He draped every figure in soft, dusty light that made even generals look like they’d been sitting in a railway carriage all day. If you want to see what he’s about, look up his Kenraalitar Tatjana Petrovna Babtchenko’s portrait—she’s staring straight at you like she’s already late for the next train.