Bildnis des Architekten Anton Eyssen 1906

Jan Toorop captured Anton Eyssen, an architect, in this drawing, sometime around 1906. Look at the way Toorop used pencil to build up the architect’s face, line by line. It’s like he's mapping out Eyssen’s character through the density of marks. I feel like I can sense Toorop, leaning in close, squinting, trying to capture not just a likeness, but the essence of the man. Imagine him thinking, "How can I get this down? The way the light catches his brow, the set of his jaw?" There’s this incredible tension between precision and looseness. See how the lines around the eyes are so delicate, suggesting a lifetime of thoughts and experiences etched into the skin? Then, the mustache, oh, the mustache! It's like a bold, theatrical statement, almost cartoonish in its exuberance. It’s a study in contrasts, really, this drawing. Just like painting, drawing allows you to have a conversation across time, and Toorop seems to be saying, "Hey, let's see what we can discover together."