Valentin Serov (1865–1911) was a close friend of Mikhail Vrubel. Although principally a portraitist, Serov did not confine himself to this genre. He also painted poetic landscapes (In Winter 1898) and history compositions (Peter II and Princess Elizabeth Riding to Hounds 1900). The most brilliant aspect of Valentin Serov’s art is his portraits. The artist was merciless when painting his models. Lavish settings and expensive clothes could not mask his feelings towards the subject. Zinaida Yussupova (1902), Felix Yussupov (1903) and Olga Orlova (1911) all appear cold and haughty in their official portraits painted by Serov.
In 1907, Serov travelled to Greece. This journey brought a decisive influence to bear on Serov’s art, for after it he turned to archaic art, reliefs and the murals of Greece and Egypt. Towards the end of his short life, Serov created several works in a completely new style, such as Portrait of Ida Rubinstein (1910). Ida Rubinstein was a dancer with Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. Serov depicts her naked, with a complete lack of idealisation. If anything, he exposes and accentuates the sharp, angular forms of her body. The picture is like a poster or a mural, terse in colour and outline.
