Portret van een Belgische advocaat, mogelijk Paul Spitaëls 1896

Curator: The Rijksmuseum holds this drawing from 1896 titled "Portret van een Belgische advocaat, mogelijk Paul Spitaels," rendered with pencil by Auguste Danse. What captures your attention right away? Editor: The lightness, the sense of ephemerality. It's as if a ghost of a man is staring back, with a quiet intensity. It’s a sketch, but with this almost spectral presence that I find fascinating. Curator: Precisely. The subtle hatching and shading create a play of light and shadow that brings forth a captivating psychological dimension, typical of symbolist-infused portraits of that time. Editor: Yes! There's a feeling of uncertainty, even vulnerability. I get the feeling that this man—perhaps an attorney if that's indeed Paul Spitaels—carried a significant weight, a melancholic essence. Curator: Well, I wonder how much of that perceived weightiness comes from the almost hyper-realistic rendition of the face contrasted with the loose treatment of the clothes and shoulders. It brings the viewers gaze straight to the eyes. Editor: Absolutely. It’s that sharp focus on the face that really amplifies the character, yet the surrounding haziness gives a sense of a person lost in thoughts or caught at the threshold of clarity, isn't it? Curator: It very well could be! In my perspective, the power here lies in how Danse skillfully merges realism with impressionistic techniques, achieving a timeless portrait with palpable depth. Editor: I agree; the mastery in pencil, the way she manages to infuse such feeling with so little feels unique, as she creates such depth. Overall, it gives food for thought beyond a likeness and reveals someone in between poses of action, giving an impression of the time period in general. Curator: Yes, and something in this artwork almost evokes the past as alive, and as a witness—like the attorney’s heavy eyes—something tangible that seems to talk to us now, maybe of all the cases that came through his doors, to continue existing in our era. Editor: Indeed! I feel strangely connected now; and in my mind, I wish I had met him. I now understand his expression more and this work better, making this moment complete, thank you.