The museum was laid out by time period, with works of Renaissance and realism early on, and works of modern and abstract art later on in the gallery. This painting was actually somewhere in between the two sections, but I decided that it reflected more of a realistic approach than an abstract one. 

The intense stare of the subject (and artist) of the painting was what initially caught my eye. The whole upper region of his body seemed to be leaning out of the painting, as if he were observing the viewer as the subject of his next painting. After trading several glances with the work, I noticed the peculiarity of the background. The most obvious element, which pulls the painting slightly away from realism, was the dark shadow/aura around the painter's face and shoulders. Of course, this produces the contrast between the artist and surroundings, but also makes it seem like the artist does not belong in his surroundings. Its almost as if he is a 3-dimensional object in front of a 2-dimensional screen. Normally, shadows do not fall in such a way that they appear in the airspace behind you. This 3-d vs 2-d effect is further exemplified by the awkward perspective of the carpet, and the blurriness of the background. 

The colors are very warm. The artist used a lot of browns, reds and oranges. Even the blues and greens have tinges of red and orange mixed into them. Overall, this gives the painting a very comfortable feeling. Within another context, the artist's stare may seem a little creepy. But here, it seems kind and understanding. The colors are also blended in a way so that everything feels very soft, apart from the sharpness in the artist's face. This effect definitely draws your attention to his gaze. As I observed the painting, I noticed that my eyes would constantly reconnect with his stare as I scanned the full work. 

In terms of space, the artist plays with some of the painting rules to further enhance the optical illusion described in previous paragraphs. Normally, foreground an background objects overlap so you can have a clear sense of what is supposed to be closer to you. However, in this piece, several objects are just barely touching each other. The carpet just nicks the edge of the canvas. The man's shoulder comes extremely close to the edge of the door, and he also leans on the very edge of the table. Again, this flattens out the space, and creates the 3-d on 2-d effect.  

Personally, I found this piece rather mesmerizing, and a little bit mysterious. The man seems to observing the viewer just as intently as the viewer observes the man. Even though the work is very still (he is sitting, staring, and holding his brushes rather tightly), the artist seems no less alive. It gives me the impression that this man has many thoughts and observations going through his head, and is waiting for me to say something to him.