Brustbild eines weißbärtigen Mannes, leicht nach rechts gewandt 

Curator: We’re looking at Johann Andreas Benjamin Nothnagel’s "Bust of a White-Bearded Man, Turned Slightly to the Right," a drawing rendered in ink and charcoal. The piece currently resides here at the Städel Museum. Editor: My first impression is… melancholy. It's striking how the light catches the lines in his face. You know, the way shadows deepen around the eyes and mouth – it’s as if he's carrying the weight of untold stories. Curator: The fact that we see only the bust really emphasizes his face as a landscape of experience. When viewed through the lens of say, critical race theory, you have to consider whose stories get centered and remembered in these older European collections, particularly with portraits. How are those choices affecting contemporary perspectives? Editor: Absolutely, there's the selective history there for sure, but also this individual almost feels… timeless. Doesn't matter who he was in life – he embodies the universal grandfather figure. I immediately want to hear his advice. Curator: Yes, the gaze directs one towards contemplation; it prompts consideration of aging and wisdom within societal frameworks that tend to valorize youth and novelty, which creates, well, a fascinating tension. I believe that these portraits provide a conduit for examining social constructs of aging, knowledge hierarchies, and representation politics. Editor: You're right. Maybe he’s not giving advice at all. Perhaps he is silently reflecting back on us all these unasked questions and unexamined assumptions, a wizened mirror to our own cultural fixations. Curator: Precisely. Art like this holds a mirror to power and privilege, revealing the absences just as much as the presences. This portrait prompts introspection on who is seen, who is valued, and, ultimately, who gets remembered. Editor: And maybe remembering this man also opens our minds to honoring others outside that frame. Nice. Curator: I couldn't agree more. It's a constant, reciprocal conversation. Editor: A chat with ghosts...and ourselves! Well said!