Artem's portrait

A young man with tousled dark curly hair and a short beard sits half-turned toward the viewer, one arm resting on the back of a chair and the other lying loosely in his lap. He wears a full white shirt, unlaced at the collar, over dark trousers, and looks out steadily with a slightly guarded expression.

The loosely brushed background moves between mauve, lilac and grey, its soft abstract patches setting off the crisp white of the shirt and the warm flesh tones of the face and hands. Light falls from the front, modeling the features with visible, confident strokes while the drapery is built up in broader, creamier passages. The portrait feels informal and quietly pensive.