It may not be an exaggeration to say that Anatoly Zverev is the greatest portrait painter of the 20th century, both in terms of his talent
and his sheer productivity. Unfortunately, it is impossible to contextualize his artistic legacy or even say exactly how many works he created. If it was possible, Zverev would probably score an entry in the Guinness Book of Records for the number of portraits he painted. He also made them in record time - from three minutes to half an hour. 

Zverev could use any material to paint on or with: his guiding principle seemed to be, the more incongruous, the better. He painted with jam on paper, with hair spray on wood board, brimstone on fabric, and so on and so on. Screwing up his eyes and taking just a fleeting glance at a model (often seen for the first time), he would make a portrait in a single flowing stroke, never amending or correcting anything and pointedly leaving his work in the most inappropriate places.

Through the years he acquired a reputation as a rough, uncultured, and irresponsible genius. That reputation helped him to survive, but in the end it proved to be his own undoing.

His precise, masterful stroke is reminiscent of a lunge in fencing or a somersault - a pleasure to watch, but deadly to repeat. 

By Yuri Arpishkin