The phrase "a sharp portrait of" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a vivid and clear representation of a person, situation, or concept, often in a literary or artistic context.
Example: "The author paints a sharp portrait of the protagonist's struggles, making the reader empathize with her journey."
Alternatives: "a vivid depiction of" or "a clear representation of".
But the comptroller's audit paints a sharp portrait of the resulting costs.
The ensemble deftly navigates McDonagh's rough terrain of alternating darkness and humor with aplomb, painting a sharp portrait of a world where cruelty is inseparable from love.
For example, the party scene includes a sharp portrait of Achilles' sexually predatory, hard-drinking father and his sweet but dominating mother.
Anne Enright's The Forgotten Waltz is a sharp portrait of love and infidelity, difficult children and ageing parents, set against Ireland's boom years and subsequent crash.
Elvis Costello and the Attractions, "Mystery Dance" (1977) One of the standout tracks from Costello's début album, "Mystery Dance" is a sharp portrait of sexual insecurity (cf. Randy Newman's "Maybe I'm Doing It Wrong").
He also offers a sharp portrait of modern mercenary culture, whose members are "as familiar with company law, bank transfers and investor agreements as with the workings of a Browning pistol".
But Aurelio Zen's allure is due to the fact that the novels effortlessly paint a sharper portrait of Italy than any guide-book, cookbook or academic history.
LEEDS, England, July 14 - As the police investigation moved ahead on Thursday, a sharper portrait of the three suspected bombers began to emerge from friends and neighbors, who described them as responsible, well-adjusted residents who kept any hint of their deadly plans tightly concealed.
He discovered that he was a bloody-minded person". Saladin's well-bred, left-wing actress-wife is an equally sharp portrait of English nerves and inhibitions.
Among European dealers, the Galerie Brockstedt of Berlin stands out, with a wall of collages by Kurt Schwitters, a turbulent Italian landscape by Emil Nolde from 1905, and a knife-sharp portrait of a woman, done in 1925 by Christian Schad, a painter of the Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity) movement.
With "The Protest Singer," Wilkinson has met that challenge, producing a slim, laser-sharp portrait of an artist and activist who has changed the lives of Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and millions of people who have lifted their voices to join him in song.
