In the consideration for one of the shortest poems ever is J.W. Curry’s “i”, which is a very large and main inspiration behind this piece.

I have a tendency to overcomplicate things so, of course, this is what I did to this simple masterpiece. The stem of the letter ‘i’ had the potential to expand on it, so that’s what I attempted.

This was also my first time working on toned paper, in a special sketchbook I bought recently. It’s almost embarrassing the excitement that I felt working in that way, combining white pencil highlights to contrast the black ink dots. Plus the subject matter really enticed me, which made a 52 hour project seem easy to do.

It required a lot of thinking though. I really had to dig a bit to find and assess which things really impacted me. And the conclusion is that I’m a very introverted person, more so than I believed initially. I knew from the beginning that adding people wouldn’t be fair, because I would be making a large scale, “Rembrandtianne” Night Watch type of composition, which would still miss out on people who had a huge impact on me. Also putting them in hierarchical order would be deeply unfair. So that was quickly abandoned (apart from one painting in the upper right corner, where a scene with people suggests the importance of friends and camaraderie). What I focused on were things.

This is why I say I’m introverted because those things turned out to have a larger impact on me than most people, upon reflection. The guitar, for example. I’ve started playing at 14, now almost half of my life. I am self-taught, never had a lesson and I’ve reached quite a good level of playing. It’s always reminded me that I can do anything I really put my mind to, especially if the heart is already there. That was the first thing that needed inclusion. Next, the TV. The big, old school, brick-house TV. Cartoons, Discovery channel, History channel, movies. I still remember getting my first TV in my room. Waking up the next morning and turning it on felt like the opening scene in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Well, let’s go back a bit. I said no portraits but I had to include one, of me and my parents. They were and still are always there for me, the most supportive and understanding parents you could ask for. It would be a great injustice not to put them upfront.

Next to all of these are books, 4 book titles in particular: Master and Margarita (Bulgakov), Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky), The Count of Monte Cristo (Dumas) and Thus Spoke Zarathustra (Nietzsche). Four books which probably had the greatest impact and mean the most to me. Even choosing that was difficult and unfair.

You will notice scattered around pens and pencils (quite obvious reference), tickets (for the places I’ve traveled to which were also life-changing) and oak leaves. Why oak? Well my hometown is Hrastnik, which would literally be translated into “Oak Town”. In the background of all of this you can notice a laptop, another major factor in growing up and shaping me.

Why the broken down pillar? Well, that is the only element which is wildly abstract in the composition. It represents past and tradition, the elements and genetics handed down throughout generations which led to this point. It’s broken down because to a large extent I don’t necessarily follow traditions or uphold them. Not because I am strongly against them or outright reject them, but mostly because they don’t particularly fit into my way of living or thinking. But, they are still there and I am aware of them.

To continue, the paintings in the background represent towns. The biggest one is of Kamnik, the place I currently live in and have been for 10 years. Above it is Ljubljana, the capital and to the left of it is Hrastnik, again. The picture on the right of them I already mentioned, the picture below that is a mystery and will stay that way. The plant below is the one I’ve had with me for 6 years now.

The books on the shelves complete the stippled composition and above it all a fingerprint. My fingerprint, of the right thumb. The dot on the “i”. This is the strangest portrait I’ve made because it barely contains people (or a person), yet is the most personal one I’ve ever done, in many ways.

Prints of this one won’t be available, this is a personal piece and it just wouldn’t make sense selling myself this way, as strange as that sounds. But, would you be interested in a portrait like this? Something different? If so, write it in the comments, shoot me a DM or write on my email (dejvid.knezevic@gmail.com).

Thank you for reading :)