The Lover

Photorealistic painting of eight intimate fragments of a mature woman’s body, including her eye, mouth, ear, hands, breast, tattoo, foot, and torso, arranged in a grid within a pale wooden frame.

The Lover

Oil on 8 – 8 x 8 inches – Gessobord* panels

Size framed:  100 x 50 x 7 cm

(Individual panels)  20.3 x 20.3cm x 3mm

A celebration of age, confidence, beauty and love.

Frank Brennan The Lover Sleeping, a photorealistic oil painting, Panel 1 of 8.
The Lover – Panel 2, photorealistic oil painting by Frank Brennan, 2024: close-up of a woman’s open eye.
“The Lover” – Panel 3 of Frank Brennan’s photorealistic oil portrait, showing a close-up of a woman’s mouth mid-speech, with softened wrinkles and natural tones.
“The Lover” – Panel 4 of Frank Brennan’s photorealistic oil portrait, showing a woman’s ear adorned with a silver earring shaped like a Hamsa hand.
“The Lover” – Panel 5 of Frank Brennan’s photorealistic oil portrait, depicting a close-up of a woman’s breast with natural folds and tones.
“The Lover” – Panel 6 of Frank Brennan’s photorealistic oil portrait, showing a close-up of two ageing hands crossed protectively over the body.
“The Lover” – Panel 7 of Frank Brennan’s photorealistic oil portrait, depicting a swallow tattoo inked on sun-warmed skin.
Frank Brennan, The Lover – Panel 8, photorealistic painting of a man’s foot in warm tones against a pale background.

The Concept

The Lover opens my Point of Focus series—a body of work examining how we perceive one another: never whole, but through fragments, fleeting details, and moments of attention.

The Work

This painting is composed of eight photorealistic panels, each offering its own revelation—be it the depth of a knowing gaze, hands that speak of character, or skin marked by experience. Together, they create not a fragmented view, but a deeper wholeness—one that honours authenticity and human beauty.

The Invitation

The Lover asks viewers to slow down and truly see—not just look. By isolating each element, the painting recognises the profound beauty found in genuine connection and the courage it takes to be vulnerable.

It’s in this slow, intimate act of seeing that we come closest to knowing another—and, in the process, discover the whole.

Enquire about this work.

Other works

To see more, please click on one of the images below.

All That Jazz

Oil paint on canvas

The Morning After the Night Before

Oil paint and pigment on canvas

The Woodworker

Oil paint on linen (Framed)