Azov fishermen

Two men are shown in close half-length, one in a flat cap and worn orange jacket holding a bundle of tools or netting, the other bare-headed in a striped sailor's shirt. Behind them a line of small wooden rowboats rests on the sand, a pale rocky cliff rises at the left, and the sea stretches flat and blue to the horizon.

Thick, textured strokes model the sunburnt faces in warm ochre and brown, with heavier impasto catching the light on brow, nose and cheekbone. The sea and sky are laid in with broader, cooler blues, and the boats are reduced to dark, simplified shapes. The direct, close framing and steady gazes give the double portrait a plain, dignified gravity.