Dona Isabel Corbo de Porcel 1906

Timothy Cole made this engraving of Dona Isabel Corbo de Porcel, but the date remains unknown. It's amazing how Cole coaxes light and shadow from a black and white palette. Up close, you see the texture he's created. It's not just smooth gradients. Notice around the shawl, a dense flurry of tiny lines. They almost vibrate, giving the fabric weight and dimension. The details in the face are striking – the soft curve of her cheek, the way the light catches her eye. It’s as if Cole is less interested in perfect representation and more invested in the process of translation. This makes me think of Whistler, another artist who played with tonal values to create mood. In the end, art is about seeing – about how we see, how we translate, and how we feel.