Dona Isabel Corbo de Porcel 1906

This portrait of Dona Isabel Corbo de Porcel by Timothy Cole is an engraving on paper, a process of carving into a surface, and then inking the grooves to create an image. I’m wondering what it must have been like for Timothy Cole to focus on her with such a meticulous, patient eye. It’s like he’s trying to understand her from the outside in, capturing her likeness, her clothes, even the texture of the shawl wrapped around her shoulders. I notice that the shawl seems to vibrate with detail, while her face has a soft, almost dreamy quality. Maybe Cole was thinking about the old masters, trying to capture that same sense of timeless beauty and grace. I see echoes of Goya and maybe even a bit of Rembrandt in the way he’s using light and shadow to create depth and drama. Painting, like printmaking, is about seeing, feeling, and trying to make sense of it all in our own way.