Toast IV (2008) Original Gouache Painting by David Kofton

Toast IV, 2008
Gouache on paper, 14 × 17 inches
Original artwork by David Kofton

In Toast IV, David Kofton captures an intimate, fleeting moment—a woman tilting her head back as she drinks from a glass. The dramatically raised hand and glass partially obscure her face, transforming an everyday gesture into a compelling study of form, movement, and perspective.

Set against a deep, nearly black background, the luminous figure emerges with striking immediacy. Kofton works in a restrained palette of creamy whites, warm flesh tones, muted rose, and reddish brown, allowing subtle washes and visible brushwork to model the face, hand, hair, and body. The circular pink interior of the glass becomes an unexpected focal point, drawing the eye into the composition.

Rather than presenting a conventional portrait, Kofton focuses on gesture and the experience of a particular instant. The unusual angle, cropped composition, and expressive handling of gouache give Toast IV a contemporary, almost cinematic quality.
Created in 2008, this original work is part of Kofton's ongoing exploration of the human figure and the expressive possibilities found in ordinary moments.

Materials used:

gouache

Details:

• Gouache painting on Paper
• One of a kind artwork
• Size: 35.56 x 43.18 x 0.32cm (unframed) / 35.56 x 43.18cm (actual image size)
• Signed on the front
• Style: Expressive and gestural
• Subject: People and portraits