This portrait is the outcome of years of observation and an ongoing inner dialogue with the sitter. Vasily—one of the artist’s recurring subjects—appears here in a special, almost Rembrandtesque register. His likeness draws on Old‑Master European painting, above all Rembrandt’s late period, and particularly the Hermitage’s celebrated ""Elderly Man with Clasped Hands"". Vasily’s figure is set against a dark ground, rendered in deep tonal values that nearly dissolve him into shadow. He wears simple dark garments, and his head is wrapped in a turban adorned with small metal elements, lending the image the flavor of parable, memory, and time. All attention gathers on the face: sunken eyes, sharp cheekbones, a once‑broken nose, and a yellow‑gray beard—each feature inscribes the years he has lived, his resilient fortitude, and his quiet dignity. Painted in oil grisaille, the piece relies on a restrained palette of white, ochre, umber, and black to create a rich weave of warm and cool half‑tones. The light does not slash the surface; instead, it gently lifts the form from semidarkness, as if “breathing” across the canvas. Deliberately avoiding harsh contrasts, the artist models the form through barely perceptible transitions, allowing the paint to speak more softly—and more truthfully. A muted beam shapes the structure, pulling key plastic nodes out of shadow while leaving space for the viewer’s imagination. This is a conversation with the great examples of the past filtered through an individual eye. The result is a bridge between eras: a contemporary view of an eternal theme—the strength of the human spirit, embodied in quiet, almost philosophical silence.