Unknown creator

Oil canvas, medium-sized (51 x 40 cm) studio scene: we see an older male painter seated in profile, with a brush in his left hand and a bundle of brushes/palette knife in his right. The man wears a light summer suit, a bow tie, and glasses; this bourgeois attire is characteristic of the first half of the 20th century. The composition is three-quarters, with an easel and stretched canvas on the left edge, and a simple wooden chair on the right. The background is a grayish-brown, smoky-toned, loosely applied surface with areas rubbed down; the light-shadow transitions are soft, and the contours are gently blurred. The brushwork is calm, shaping the folds of the clothing and the gestures of the hand with short, patch-like strokes. The color palette is subdued: warm ochres, browns, and muted grays, emphasized by white trousers and black shoes. On the back, there is a sketchy, more expressive horse and carriage scene, indicating repurposed canvas. Style: post-impressionist-intimist naturalism; likely from the 1920s-1940s.