Craftsman

An elderly man in a dark blue coat sits with his back partly turned, working at a low table piled with folded rags and colored cloth. Beside him a second seated figure, seen from behind, faces a shadowed alcove hung with jackets in blue and orange, while a wooden chair, an open wardrobe and loose boards litter the crowded wooden-walled room.

Built from broad, dry strokes of ochre, brown and muted blue over a warm ground, the oil sketch keeps the room in near-monochrome shadow while small notes of orange, yellow and blue mark the hanging clothes and rags. The loose, economical brushwork and low, enclosed light give the scene a hushed, private atmosphere.