old man

A half-length seated figure shows an elderly man with a long grey-brown beard and receding hairline, dressed in a loose white shirt open over his belly and dark trousers and boots. He sits on a stack of folded fabric, one hand resting on each knee, while a tan-mustard coat is draped over the surface behind his shoulder.

Soft pastel strokes build warm flesh tones and the ochre coat against a pale, largely unworked grey background, with the paper's texture visible throughout. The loose, sketch-like handling and direct, level pose give the study a plain, contemplative character.