Self Portrait

A penetrating study of an elderly man with long, flowing beard, rendered in soft pastel on paper. The artist employs loose, gestural marks to build the visage, layering warm ochre and grey tones across the weathered face and pale hair. The composition is tightly framed, drawing attention to the subject’s contemplative gaze and lined features. Boonzaier, who pursued painting for over eighty years, demonstrates here the confidence of a mature artist working in a medium favoured for its immediacy and subtlety.