Pope Benedict Xv 1917

This is Paul-Albert Besnard's rendering of Pope Benedict XV, made using fine strokes of ink to build tone and shadow. Imagine Besnard with his pen, each tiny line a decision, a little world-building exercise in capturing a likeness. The Pope's face is half in shadow, and I find myself wondering, what was it like to sit for a portrait like this? Besnard must have been acutely aware of how each mark contributes to the overall impression, the weight of the lines pressing down to create the illusion of three-dimensionality. There is a real conversation happening between light and dark here, a dance between what is revealed and what remains hidden. This use of hatching reminds me of other portraitists like Lucian Freud, who built up an image through layers of precise observation. There's something both reverent and deeply human in these kinds of portraits. They capture a fleeting moment and offer it up for contemplation. Artists inspire and borrow from each other, echoing across time.