Charlier. Ernile, Frédéric. 40 ans, né à Brest (Finistère). Peintre. Vol. 18/3/94. 1894

This photograph, taken by Alphonse Bertillon, presents us with Frédéric Charlier, a 40-year-old painter from Brest. It is more than a mere portrait; it is a document, an artifact imbued with the visual language of its time. Consider the gaze, direct and unflinching. It is a motif that echoes through centuries of portraiture, from the Roman busts demanding authority to the Renaissance masters capturing the essence of the individual. Yet, here, it is charged with a different energy, one of vulnerability but also defiance, as if challenging the very act of being recorded. The slightly dishevelled hair and unkempt beard, details easily dismissed, are signifiers. They remind us of the Dionysian figure, a symbol of untamed creativity. This connection, however subtle, adds another layer to our understanding of Charlier as not just a man, but a painter. The image resonates with the perpetual dance between order and chaos, control and surrender, that defines both life and art.