Portrait of a Dutch Man

Image Transcription:

[ The round, age-worn face of a middle-aged man emerges from pitch black darkness, with lighting reminiscent of the works of Raphael. The soft focus and neck-up cropping makes his skin look almost luminous against the deep shadows behind him and his mouth is pulled into a slight grimace. His large, grey-blue eyes seem to look past as rather than at us; They are framed by messy and sparse eyebrows and deep bags beneath his eyes. His thick moustache and goatee bisect his face and call attention to a strong, slightly cleft chin. His hair falls in tight reddish brown, close-cropped ringlets around his face, they shine here and there in the lighting. His light blue-grey turtleneck sweater is visible beneath the pure inky black of his jacket that melts into the darkness behind him. The overall effect is one of a working class man caught in surprise rather than a formal portrait sitting. ]