My father

My father, 23 x 30 cm

My father, who passed away two years ago, would have been 92 today.  I painted these two portraits, a couple of weeks apart, from an older photograph. What a satisfying feeling it is to be able to re-create, albeit in a tiny way, the person you miss.

I remember the time as a child when I realized that my parents are not all-mighty gods, but more or less ordinary people. Every child probably has such a moment of revelation. Yet, for me, my dad always remained a kind of a semi-deity. I could discuss with him almost anything, from complex math and science subjects to art and culture. He was my Wikipedia, in the pre-web era. He had a nice, refreshing sense of humor and a fine taste. A true model to aspire to, which all of us, his children, still do.

While from the same photo, the two portraits ended up having two different expressions, both typical of him. In the first one, he is about to crack a joke, and smiling on the inside already. In the second, he's glad and content. So I couldn't pick the one over the other. I'm grateful to my niece for trying to help the selection and for her articulate descriptions.

My father 2,  23 x 30 cm