A man in his 30s or 40s. Thick, dense beard. Large eyes and eyebrows. Close cropped black hair, very dark skin. Shot to just beneath the chin. His head is contained in a cage. The circular metal birdcage, painted a pale color, only just fits over his head. Three little fat artificial birds with short tails are perched on the outside, gripping the vertical bars of the cage with their claws.
The bird at the lower left looks outward, and the two on the right crane inwards, peering at the man. One of the bars casts a shadow across his forehead, above his right eye. The cage has an intricate decorative border across the top, which crowns his head, and there is also a fake butterfly attached.
The man eyes us through the bars with a look of gravity. His expression is grave, yet also seems one of bemusement, as though he's poking fun at his circumstances. The direct gaze challenging us with a seriousness, at odds with the cuteness of the birds. The daintiness of the bird cage and the uncaged artificial birds juxtaposed with the man's head trapped within, deliver an unsettling mood. The light strikes from the left, the right side in shadow, and the whites of his eyes are highlighted.
