Zelfportret, dubbelportret van Emile Verhaeren en portret van Edmond Deman 1908

This etching by Léon Spilliaert captures a self-portrait alongside portraits of Emile Verhaeren and Edmond Deman, all rendered in delicate lines and tonal variations. I wonder what it was like to be Spilliaert, etching these faces, layering them up like ghostly apparitions. There's a definite nod to the past, a sense of tradition, yet the way the figures seem to hover, slightly out of focus, suggests a break from realism. It feels like he’s etching not just what he sees, but what he feels, what he imagines. The faces seem to emerge and recede into the surface, challenging our perception of space and form. The overall impression is one of quiet intensity, a sense of introspection and artistic exploration. Spilliaert’s etching process becomes a form of mark-making, which is an exploration of identity, memory, and the passage of time. He shares a similar intensity with other artists like Munch or Ensor, but here it feels softer somehow, a delicate, interior drama.