There must have been an angel by my side

In There must have been an angel by my side, a young man rests his chin on his clasped hands while a cluster of large white blossoms grows across his face, covering it from the brow down. Only the hands, the jaw and the edge of a dark shirt remain fully given; the rest of the portrait is taken over by flowers.

Worked in charcoal and acrylic in a restrained black-and-white palette, the canvas shows the precision for which Ritchelly Oliveira is known: petals and skin are drawn with a density that reads as photographic, while the background is left open. The artist has said that black and white lets the viewer bring their own colours to a work, and the flowers here hold the figure and conceal it at the same time.

At 65 × 54 cm (25.6 × 21.3 in), it is the most intimate format among Oliveira’s works at the gallery, suited to a study, a corridor or a close-up wall. Born in Brazil in 1993 and trained in Visual Arts at the Federal University of Goiás, Ritchelly Oliveira has worked with the human figure since 2012. His work has been exhibited in Goiânia, Berlin, Miami, New York and Los Angeles, including the solo exhibition Fragility at La Brea Studio in 2023, and has appeared in international art publications such as Beautiful Bizarre.

Available for private viewing at Tilsitt Gallery in Porto, or worldwide delivery upon inquiry.