Portret van Victor de Stuers 1890 - 1916

This black and white photograph shows a portrait of Victor de Stuers, made by an anonymous photographer. I wonder what it must have been like to take a photograph back then. It’s very dark, a bit smudgy. He has this huge beard and a serious look. I imagine the photographer, covered in cloths, fiddling with the light. A lot of patience would be required! I sympathize with the anonymous artist. They were probably just trying to make a living, doing their job. They followed the conventions of the day – but even within that, there’s a feel of a person behind the camera. I think about all of these things when I’m trying to make a painting. The conversation between the materials and what you are trying to represent. Maybe painting a portrait isn’t so different from taking a photograph, because you are always asking: how can I capture the essence of this person?