A young woman emerges from a field of darkness, illuminated by a restrained, golden light that gathers gently across her face and adornments. Her gaze is steady yet distant, neither confrontational nor submissive, suspended between vigilance and reverie. The richness of her jewellery — pearls, gold filigree, and layered ornament — is rendered with meticulous care, yet never overwhelms the figure. Instead, it becomes an extension of her presence, echoing the quiet gravity of her expression. The composition draws on the chiaroscuro tradition, allowing shadow to envelop the background and define the contours of the face and hands with soft precision. Gold functions not as spectacle, but as atmosphere: a slow, breathing light that suggests memory, inheritance, and watchfulness. The figure appears timeless, unanchored from a specific myth or era, inhabiting a space between history and contemporary emotion. La Veglia dell’Oro is a meditation on stillness and endurance — a portrait of inner vigilance, where adornment becomes both armour and inheritance, and beauty is held with restraint rather than display. ⸻ About the artist: Agatino Bivona, known artistically as Bivaga, was born in Biancavilla, Sicily, in 1972 and currently lives and works in Adrano. A pupil and close confidant of master Antonio Sciacca, Bivaga began his artistic journey at a young age and has spent over three decades refining his unmistakable visual language. His hyperrealistic portraits, rich in symbolism and emotional nuance, have been featured in major exhibitions in Italy and abroad. Celebrated in critical publications such as I Grandi Maestri (2009), and reviewed by prominent art critics like Nicola Villari and Alfredo Pasolino, Bivaga’s works are held in private collections across Europe, the United States, and Japan — carrying fragments of Sicilian elegance far beyond its borders. Full catalogue on www.BivagaStudio.com Instagram: @bivagastudio