Portret van generaal Drabbe 1903

Jan Toorop made this tiny portrait of General Drabbe, using etching on metal. The whole thing is built from tiny scratches, like whispers on a dark surface. Look closely, and you can see how Toorop built up the image bit by bit, with layer after layer of lines. It’s a process of finding the image, not just making it. The texture here is so important. The dark, almost bruised surface, contrasts with the bright, scratchy lines. See how the light catches those lines, creating this shimmering effect? It’s like the general is emerging from the darkness, or maybe fading into it. The way Toorop used line here reminds me of some of Klinger’s etchings, that same obsessive quality, building an image from a mass of marks, and imbuing the portrait with a sense of ghostly mystery. Ultimately, this little plate is about seeing and not-seeing at the same time.