Portrait 

This is a portrait by Omer Mujadžić, capturing a young man in what appears to be mid-20th century attire. The gaze, direct and unwavering, is immediately striking, a pictorial device that throughout history has served to establish an intimate connection between the subject and the viewer. Consider the “Arringatore,” the bronze statue of an Etruscan orator, whose outstretched arm and piercing eyes command attention, or the portraits of Roman emperors, whose steady gazes were meant to convey authority. Here, though, the young man’s expression seems to project something more nuanced. The slight furrow of his brow and the subtle tension around his mouth hint at a complex interior life, almost as though his eyes are windows to the subconscious. The portrait invites us to consider how these visual symbols are a recurring pattern across time. They resurface, evolving and adapting with each era, yet still tethered to those primeval roots.