Portraits of family and friends make up a large part of Leon Kossoff's artistic output. The artist painted numerous portraits of his parents, individually and together, as well as his brother. This portrait is a meditation on its subject, carefully but expressively worked in the thickly applied paint which is a common feature of the artist's work. Kossoff's father looks composed but self-aware - fully conscious that his portrait is being painted. His rounded figure fills the frame of the painting and is depicted in muted colours, drawing attention to the handling of the paint.