Claudio Bravo

Leveraging the soft effects of red chalk and charcoal, Claudio Bravo captures the lively presence of his subject. Light sparkles in the figure’s blue eyes, and touches of red chalk-a medium popular among artists for centuries-on his lips, cheek, and ears lend a sense of vitality and warmth.

Often described as a hyperrealist, Bravo was also influenced by Surrealism, and the magic of this drawing is informed by both of those styles. The figure’s face is quite convincing, as is the man’s hand appearing to come out of the image to grasp the frame. That realism is offset by the flat rendering of the chest, emphasized by Bravo’s parallel hatching.