Foto c. 1895 - 1925

This black and white photograph called 'Foto' was made by W.G. Hondius van den Broek. When I look at this photograph, I think about my own image in the mirror, the one I look at every day. And I wonder about his image. Does he know who he is? He has a mustache, like my grandfather used to have. His hair is slicked back, and he’s wearing a jacket, all bright white. What could it have been like to pose for this image? The photographic process is so different from painting, but when I look at the surface, I see so many layers of possibility. The light and dark play in the negative and construct his face, which looms out from the background like a ghost. The artist has shared a portrait, a form of embodied expression which embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations.