Adolf Tortilowicz Von Batocki-friebe 1914

This photographic portrait of Adolf Tortilowicz Von Batocki-friebe, was made by Nicola Perscheid. The beauty of these old photos is how they’re like paintings, with light and shadow playing together. Look at the gradations from light to dark across the face. It’s a dance of greys, shifting, blurring, creating a soft focus that's so different from our sharp digital images today. The way the light catches the cheekbone, the subtle shadows under the eyes, all of it is really about touch. Perscheid is using the light to sculpt the face, to bring out a certain character, almost like a painter builds up layers of paint. It reminds me of some of those old master portraits, the ones where the person seems to be looking right through you, but without the heavy handedness of the 19th century Academic style. There's something modern in the way it's handled. It’s like a conversation between photography and painting, each pushing the other to see in new ways. What do you see?