Portret van Fernand et Robert Vandewalle 1901 - 1909

This photograph, made by J. Van Crewel Jeune shows Fernand and Robert Vandewalle, likely taken in his studio at Rue du Pelican, Anvers. The sepia tone really pulls you into another time, right? The way the light catches the folds of the children's clothes, it's almost like the image is sculpted. Look closely, and you can see the texture of the paper, a sort of delicate graininess that gives the picture a feeling of being worn, loved, and handled over time. My eyes keep going back to the face of the elder child. There's something so serious in those eyes. Thinking about other artists, the way that someone like Alice Neel could capture the vulnerability of her sitters with just a few brushstrokes comes to mind. It really does feel like a conversation between artists, a way of seeing and feeling that gets passed down through the years.