The last painting by painter R. K.

A wild-haired, bare-chested painter in a loose white smock sits sideways, brush raised toward an unseen canvas. Behind him a skeleton in an embroidered red-and-gold costume holds a long rod grazing the crown of his head, while a carved winged mask floats above and a russet dog curls at his bare feet.

Warm flesh tones and glowing white fabric stand against a cool pale-blue sky and the skeleton's somber red drapery, painted with tight, polished realism despite the fantastical cast. Crisp detail in the embroidery and dog's fur meets looser handling of the sky, producing an eerie, theatrical stillness.