Man on the bus (orange) Drawing

This artwork is from an ongoing series of portraits of people I saw while riding a bus. This series includes also people waiting at bus stops, seen from the bus stop or from inside the bus. Also, being a feminist, I always try to give more space to various kinds of beauty in my art (not only the classical female beauty driven by the "male gaze"), that's why I love to depict also men and this man in particular struck me because of his outfit, the orange of the hooded jacket, matching his cap, and the beautiful color of his trousers. Sennelier oil pastels are a great medium to depict all these nuances and the lights and shadows of this kind of urban scene. I am very grateful for the beauty we can spot around us in our everyday life, if only we allow ourselves to take time and focus on what surrounds us. I like to think of people that make an effort to put together a nice outfit before going out and into the world, as a gift to everyone else, as they contributes to brighten up our day. I put this under portraiture category as I think that even a person's back can be considered a portrait, as it tells a lot about someone. Since a young age I focused on details' of people outfits, as I think some kind of garments are a work of art in itself and what and how people choose to wear tells a lot about them. Not long ago I listened to a podcast from Articles of Interest (a mini-series within 99% Invisible) that drew my attention to the fact that the people that put more time and effort are people from groups that do not have much of a voice, thus they need to find other ways to express and make themselves "visible". While making an artwork, every detail is important for me, and I depict every single part of the scene with the same care and attention. From the elements of the bus, to the urban landscape, from the letters that can be seen outside, on a shop window, to the profile of the man, his headphones. The way this young man is sitting reminds me of when I was younger myself. I think it's the kind of attitude we all had once. When one feels young and powerful, the feeling that everything that surrounds us is there for us. A time when the city is our stage and our destiny is in our hands. This is a very significant artwork for me as it is one from the many I made during the Covid 19 lockdown in Italy. Being forced home I went through all the photographs I took during the three years I've been living in London and made oil pastel on paper inspired by them. Making this series has been great for me as it gave me the chance to feel all the emotions I felt while I was in London, a city that I love. I hope the beauty that this man shared with us on that day on a London double-decker bus could travel from this drawing to your place.