This Artist’s Works Are a Masterpiece of Light and Shadow

There’s so much power in darkness — it’s mysterious, tempting, terrifying. The imagination runs wild when the eyes have little to hold onto. And London-based artist Zulf has decided to use that power in his art.

Zulf is a contemporary artist with a distinct style. He uses pastel pencils and charcoal to draw striking images. The darks background allows whim to create the illusion of darkness and shadows, and the bright pastels create the feeling of bright light. Most of his drawings are of women partly hidden in the darkness, with a hidden source of light casting a bright light of parts of their body or face. These mysterious silhouettes stir the imagination – who is this woman? Why is she half-hidden in the shadows?

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For Zulfm each piece is unique, and the process is never the same. A single drawing can take him anywhere from a single hour to 60 hours to complete, and he has to have the perfect reference and just the right materials. And with so much care put into each work, it’s no surprise that they’re all so unique and tantalizing.

Zulf likes to keep an air of mystery around himself as well. He doesn’t share too many details about himself – but honestly, he doesn’t need to. His art speaks for him.

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