P.W.A. Cort van der Linden (1935) 1935

Theo van Reijn made this medal, 'P.W.A. Cort van der Linden', in 1935. Look closely, it's all about the texture, right? The way the light catches the beard, each hair a tiny groove, it’s like Van Reijn is sculpting light itself. You get a real sense of the hand at work, the pushing and pulling of the material to bring this face into being. And what a face! The sharp nose, the deep-set eyes – you can almost feel the weight of his gaze. There's a lot of attention paid to rendering all the details of the face. In a way, it reminds me of the portraits of Ernst Barlach, that same starkness and depth. You know, art isn't about perfect likeness, it's about capturing something deeper, something about the person's essence. And sometimes, the best way to do that is by getting your hands dirty, by letting the material lead the way. Van Reijn knew that.