Self Portrait : Envy 2019

Sami Gattoufi made this drawing, Self Portrait: Envy, using graphite or charcoal, I imagine. It's a piece where the process feels really upfront, like you're seeing the artist think through the marks. There’s a tenderness here, maybe in the way the shading softly defines the face. Look at the eyes, how they catch the light with just a few strokes, giving a sense of depth. The hair is a mass of scribbled curls, energetic and alive. The artist uses the texture of the paper to his advantage, letting it peek through the layers of graphite, creating a kind of visual vibration. The whole thing has this raw, immediate quality, like a quick sketch capturing a fleeting emotion. It reminds me a bit of some of Lucien Freud’s drawings, in that it's so direct and unflinching. But Gattoufi brings his own sensibility, a kind of vulnerability that draws you in. For me, it’s a reminder that art isn't about perfection, but about honesty and seeing.