Truue is the the alias of a Russian graffiti and oil painting artist. I first discovered his graffiti but quickly found his dark expressionist portraits. The depictions of ghost like individuals are painted with distorted expressiveness, with a free use of black (often the main paint used within his works), as seen in the first and third image of the slideshow above. His work is often monochromatic, but when colour is used his graffiti routes can be seen. Colours are used in blocks, With Truue relying on tone to create form.

This can be seen in the second image of the slide show. The facial features and hand are all painted in the same colour, with details being created using darker and lighter tones. The background is made up of a block of blue surrounded by white, the hair of the figure is a swirling mess of purple and the clothing is hinted at using yellow and blue combined with black outlines. Through my learning process of working paint I have struggled to created realistic skin tones and ‘Truue’s’ work is a breath of fresh air. He seems unburdened by rules, a freedom I seek to find in my own work.

My monochrome hand drawing/painting was directly inspired by his style.