Kora

81 × 100 cm — Mixed media on paper
With Kora, Sébastien Allart offers a portrait of rare intensity. The face, tilted slightly upward, seems to be illuminated from within. The half-open eyes suspend time. They do not fixate on the viewer: they look beyond them, as if turned toward somewhere else.
The lines are dense, instinctive, almost organic. They intertwine, overlap, and seek each other out. The drawing does not describe: it reveals. The face emerges from a whirlwind of ink and wash, in a subtle balance between control and abandon.
The broad circular gestures that envelop the head create an aura, an almost vibratory presence. The material becomes atmosphere. The contrast between the dense areas and the lighter breaths brings depth and tension to the composition.
In this vertical format (81 × 100 cm), Kora possesses a singular anchoring force. The work is both intimate in its human scale and powerful in its graphic energy. It imposes itself silently, through the force of the gaze and the density of the gesture.
For a collector, Kora is part of Sébastien Allart's emblematic exploration of the emotional portrait. It is a work of presence, silence, and restrained tension—a face that does not reveal itself immediately, but continues to inhabit the space and the gaze long after the first encounter.