Adolf Tortilowicz Von Batocki-friebe 1914

This black and white photograph by Nicola Perscheid captures Adolf Tortilowicz Von Batocki-Friebe looking straight at the camera. I'm struck by the tonal range and the way Perscheid has captured the light. You know, photography is subtractive – the light is already there! I can imagine Perscheid in the darkroom, playing with light and shadow, trying to reveal something about his subject. What was he thinking when he made it? I mean, it's a portrait so you have to work with what's in front of you, right? The formality of the composition suggests a specific era, but there’s also an intimacy here, a directness that transcends time. Artists are constantly in dialogue with one another, borrowing ideas and pushing boundaries and this work reminds me a little of August Sander. Ultimately, this photograph is an invitation to see beyond the surface, to imagine the stories and experiences that have shaped this man’s life, and, most importantly, to acknowledge the power of photography as a way of seeing, thinking, and experiencing the world.