Le Pere Jean Du Bois Olivier c. 17th century

Editor: So this is Claude Mellan's "Le Pere Jean Du Bois Olivier," I’m unsure of the date. The lines are incredible. I'm curious about the process. What do you see in this portrait? Curator: Ah, Mellan! He was a master of the single line. The entire portrait, the shadows, the textures, all achieved with a single, continuous line, spiraling outwards! It's like a visual meditation, isn't it? It invites us to trace the contours of the man's face, to feel the weight of his beard. Editor: A meditation. I hadn't considered that. Thanks, that's a new way of seeing it for me. Curator: My pleasure! And for me, your question reminds me how astonishingly innovative Mellan was.