Who is that Person?

The man in the seventeenth portrait is painted in a disjointed, mosaic form.  He is wearing a mismatched shirt and jacket and he sits in a large room of which the walls are lined with full bookcases. Beside him on a glass table sits a vase of tulips.  The man is alone in the large room.

                From his hairstyle, outfit and glasses, one can guess that the man is in his mid-forties.  His pants are somewhat short, showing his ankles, and they remind me of something that my father would wear.  However, his lack of grey hair or visible wrinkles leads me to believe that he is not any older than fifty years old.  The man’s jacket and shirt suggest a person who is somewhat eclectic and cares little about fashion.  The mosaic style of the portrait also hinted at eclecticism. The expression on his face, as well as the way he folds his hands in his lap lead me to believe that this person is very intellectual, quiet and polite.

                My first thought about this person after seeing his portrait was that he must be a professor or he must have another profession that requires him to be well read and intelligent.  Along the wall in the background are many bookshelves full of books.  This man probably either loves to read and research or collects books to display in his apartment.  The man’s slightly eclectic and professional outfit also led me to believe that he is a professor and an intellectual.

                The man’s surroundings make him seem as though he is a successful individual who has a high income.  The room he is in looks like it is a loft apartment, perhaps in a large city such as New York City.  On the second story wall, there is a large painting, suggesting that the man earns enough money to buy expensive items.  His face also has an air of sophistication when examined closely.

                As I examined the portrait, it seemed to me that this man was alone, and that the size of the apartment emphasized his solitude.  Though there are no actual clues in the painting to suggest that this man lives alone, the feeling of loneliness lingered in my mind as I examined the portrait, so I decided that he must be lonely.  Beside him on the table, there is a vase of tulips, possibly refuting my idea that he lives alone.  However, the rest of the apartment is very neat and tidy and there are some decorations, like the painting.  It is entirely possible that the man could appreciate beauty and that is the reason he keeps tulips.

                This man is obviously a successful and sophisticated intellectual.  He seems contemplative and satisfied with his life and his apartment suggests a tendency to be very organized.  However, to me, the painting hints at the solitude of a man who probably cared more about intellectual pursuits than other people close to him.