Portret van een onbekende man c. 1910 - 1920

This photograph, made by P. Steensma, captures an unknown man in tones of sepia. I love the way the light falls across his face, and the soft, blurry edges, which remind me of early photographic processes, like maybe a calotype. There’s a real intimacy to this work, despite its age and the sitter’s anonymity. You know, it is this kind of photograph that makes you think about how portraiture is a conversation. There is a dialogue between the photographer, the sitter and also with us, the viewer. I'm especially drawn to the way his hands are clasped, creating a focal point that leads us back to his gaze. The soft focus blurs the line between realism and something more ethereal, as if the image is as much about memory and feeling as it is about representation. This feels like a precursor to the work of someone like Gerhard Richter. Both artists use or used photography as a starting point to reflect on history, identity and the nature of representation itself.