Charles Nagel 1901

Anders Zorn painted this portrait of Charles Nagel with oil on canvas, and what strikes me is the artist’s dance with light and shadow. Imagine Zorn’s process, stepping back, squinting, then lunging in with a loaded brush, hitting just the right spot on Nagel's face to bring out the glint in his eyes. The backdrop is a blur, pushing Nagel forward, his gaze steady and direct, and a certain world-weariness conveyed in the face. The paint isn’t trying to hide itself, you know? Zorn leaves it out in the open, with the brushstrokes doing much of the talking. This reminds me of other portrait painters, like Sargent, who use these simple tones of brown to create a world of expression. It shows how painters constantly exchange ideas, building on what came before. I think that this sharing, this connection, makes art so special.