Man with owl

The last work of Konstantin Vasiliev.
In fact, this is his last visionary self-portrait.

"Man with an owl" painting is a symbol.
The formidable old man united two worlds: heaven and earth.
The old man holds a whip over his gray head - an owl sits on the whip, which is a symbol of wisdom. The bird's eye is the all-seeing eye.
Further - the starry sky, space ...

In his right hand, he squeezes the Light - a symbol of the even and unquenchable burning of the soul. The halo of the candle captures the delicate features of a person's face, combining rare concentration with the sublimity of thoughts.

And near the old man's feet is a blazing parchment. There are only two words written on it and the date - Constantine Velikoross 1976. But the name burns out! The smoke rising from the burning parchment turns into a young oak tree - a sign of eternity.

And by chance the artist painted a picture of an old man, near whose feet lies a burning parchment, which indicates his name and the year in which he died.

After Vasiliev painted this picture, he told his mother and a friend who came to visit him: "I now understand what to write and how to write." And a few days later he was gone.