Portret van Soorlo Poetro c. 1919

This is Chris Lebeau’s ‘Portret van Soorlo Poetro’ which sits at 51cm high and 38cm wide. It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when it was made, but looking at it, I can see a real awareness of process. It's like Lebeau is showing us how it was made, every line has a purpose. The texture here is so interesting, the whole image is built up of these tiny, deliberate marks. Look at the way the light catches Soorlo’s face, highlighting the peaks and valleys created by Lebeau’s hand. It's almost sculptural in its depth. I'm particularly drawn to the way the hair is rendered, each strand meticulously carved, giving it a life of its own. This piece reminds me of the woodcuts of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, that same raw energy and commitment to the graphic potential of the medium. It's a reminder that art is always in conversation, ideas echoing across time and influencing each other. And, as with any good piece, there's always room for interpretation, for us to bring our own experiences to the table and find something new each time we look.