Portret van majoor R.J. van Moock before 1906

This portrait of Major R.J. van Moock is part of an anonymous book of lithographs, it's got that early photography vibe – soft focus, a narrow range of tones that feels so delicate, almost ghostly. Look at how the light just barely catches the edge of his moustache, the way it defines his jawline. It's like trying to hold onto a memory, isn't it? The way the tones shift so subtly, reminds me of the way we adjust our focus. That sense of impermanence, it's so poignant. Photography, like painting, can be about embracing that ambiguity, allowing for multiple readings. It's less about capturing a fixed truth and more about suggesting possibilities, prompting us to look closer and to ask what isn't being said. Think of Gerhard Richter’s blurred photographs or even some of Hiroshi Sugimoto's seascapes, where the focus is less on detail and more on atmosphere.