Portret van generaal Saded Dowlet, ambassadeur van Perzië in Brussel before 1902

This portrait of General Saded Dowleh, the Persian ambassador in Brussels, is a photograph, probably from the early 20th century, reproduced in a printed publication. It’s a formal shot, framed by a decorative border, and there’s a formality to the whole image, a stillness that speaks to the conventions of portraiture at the time. But look closer, and you can see a softening around the edges, a slight blurriness that hints at the human presence behind the image. The details of his clothing are so precise and defined, yet his face is slightly blurred and soft. There is a doubling effect, because the image is presented in a book. In a way, this is a portrait of a portrait. It reminds me that art isn't just about capturing a likeness, but about creating a presence, a trace of someone who existed in the world. Think about Man Ray, and his interest in playing with light to create his otherworldly portraits, or Gerhard Richter, who blurred the image to make the viewer question the very nature of seeing.