Original artwork description:

“Papa Guardsman” is one of the figures in my personal army. An army where no one shoots, no one marches to the drum — yet each soldier stands guard over something fragile and vital: memory, imagination, laughter, and childlike wonder.

This character is not a commander or a hero. He is a papa — tired, confused, a little ridiculous, but endlessly devoted. His wide eyes reveal anxiety, and his open mouth seems caught in a cry of uncertainty about his own purpose. He looks like he’s ended up in the wrong place, yet he still holds the line, because there’s no one else to do it.

His uniform is theatrical, almost like a circus costume — a hastily worn mask. But beneath it lies something genuine. These are the kinds of warriors that make up my “Army of Dream Salvation” — people who defend not borders, but inner territories: their loved ones, their past, their right to be whimsical.

I painted this work thinking about those who never make it into history books, but perform quiet, unseen acts of courage every day. Maybe his bayonet is bent, and his boots are worn through — but he still stands. He’s not here for war. He’s here to keep kindness from disappearing.

This artwork is made by traditional technology. Oil paints, canvas and linseed oil.
The picture is made in the author's method of associative analysis.
I think that this is somewhere post-expressionism.

Materials used:

Linseed oil on canvas.

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