Olding med langt Skæg 1733 - 1816

Editor: This is "Olding med langt Skæg," or "Old Man with a Long Beard," by W.A. Müller, dating sometime between 1733 and 1816. It's a print, an engraving really. The first thing that strikes me is the intensity of the gaze and the economy of line. What do you see when you look at this piece? Curator: Oh, the implicit stories etched into those lines, you know? It's like a cartographer has mapped the soul. The hatching creates this dramatic chiaroscuro, wouldn't you agree? And those eyes! They remind me of ancient marbles I’d lose myself gazing into at the Met… do you feel that too? There’s wisdom there, maybe even a little world-weariness? Editor: I definitely see the world-weariness! And you're right about the hatching creating depth. But, if he is world-weary, what do you think he's weary of? Curator: Maybe of being an artistic trope! Think of all the wise old men, the prophets and philosophers depicted through art history. I mean, the beard practically screams “authority,” doesn’t it? But perhaps it’s not the wisdom itself that wearied him, more like the burden of representing it for generations? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn’t considered. So, is the artist playing with or paying homage to that trope, do you think? Curator: Both, I wager. It's the beautiful duality of art, isn't it? You can respect tradition and subvert it simultaneously. Müllers' portrait acknowledges the historical weight of this type of image, while his light, almost scratchy, style imbues the subject with unique vulnerability. Editor: That makes so much sense! I see it now, that vulnerability you’re talking about. Thank you. Curator: It’s a dialogue, after all. We’re just scribbling thoughts on the margins of this man’s long, storied life!