Portrait of Fritz Meyer-Fierz 1909

Jan Toorop made this portrait of Fritz Meyer-Fierz with pencil and chalk on paper. It's all about process. Look at the way he builds up the image with delicate strokes, hatching marks giving form to his face and suit. The color palette is minimal, the gold background a canvas for the interplay of light and shadow, which has an almost ethereal quality. Toorop’s use of line is particularly striking. Note the detail in his beard and around the eyes. The strokes aren’t just descriptive; they’re expressive, catching a certain mood. It’s like Toorop is sketching not just the man, but also his essence. This approach reminds me a little of Klimt, who was playing with similar ideas of representation and stylization around the same time. But where Klimt often goes for decorative excess, Toorop keeps it restrained. In the end, it's not about photographic accuracy, but something more mysterious.