Anna Helová - untitled

Rather than a live sitting, this portrait was composed from a photograph of a close friend—Helová’s practice of mining still moments for her work. The tilted head and closed eyes suggest a moment of rest captured in time, while her painterly rhythm translates the photo’s snapshot quality into layered strokes of oil and acrylic. The red hair and textured sweater emerge through Helová’s characteristic impasto, turning a simple image into a meditative study of color, form, and memory. Here, the photograph serves as a starting point; the painting becomes an independent experience of quiet presence, filtered through the artist’s internal cadence.

This piece was featured in Best of AVU, Summer 2025 at HIDDEN Gallery—a curated showcase of standout works by emerging students from the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague.