Portrait of Poetess Anna Akhmatova

This is a portrait of Anna Akhmatova, created by Natan Altman. Akhmatova was one of the most significant Soviet Russian poets of the 20th Century. She spoke out against Stalin and remained loyal to the Russian people even when her work was blacklisted in 1925 to 1945 and again after WWII. Natan Altman, was a Russian and Soviet avant-garde artist, Cubist painter, stage designer and book illustrator. In this portrait of Akmatova, Altman uses cubism to lead the eye to Akmatova's seated figure. Her gaze is focused, and she is seated as if watching something unknown to the viewer. Her slender figure is powerful and makes an impression on those looking onto her.