Opening the Envelope

Mark Twain once remarked that he especially enjoyed meeting in books men whom he had "already met on the river." Portrait painting, at its best, gives that kind of enjoyment also. The insights into character that it affords both confirm and expand the experience of people. Lately this enjoyment has been far to seek, since modern artists are more concerned with expressing their own personalities than exploring other people's. Yet a few brilliant portraitists remain--among them ebullient Boris Chaliapin. whose survey of people and places he has known opened at Manhattan's Hirschl & Adler Galleries last week.

Son of the great Russian basso, Chaliapin was born and trained in Moscow, flew to the welcoming arms of Paris in 1925. There in 1929 he painted the austere countenance and long, strong hands of Sergei Rachmaninoff--possibly the best canvas in last week's show. Portraiture is Chaliapin's favored ground, but he tackles many things with equal zest, from laughing ballet dancers to glowing landscapes and stark religious works. Among his most recent canvases: a shockingly dramatic Crucifixion, as seen from the foot of the Cross, with knees twisted in pain and a face cloaked in shadow.

A barrel of energy at 54, Chaliapin has lived in New York since 1935. In the past 17 years he has painted some 300 TIME covers (including this week's), most of them from photographs. Yet in each he has managed to reveal much of the soul that resides within the physical envelope. Chaliapin sees into people, and he paints just what he sees.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.