Tachtigste verjaardag van G.M. Kam te Nijmegen 1916 1914

This bronze plaque, titled "Eightieth Anniversary of G.M. Kam in Nijmegen 1916," was made by Johannes Cornelis Wienecke. I can imagine him, sleeves rolled up, carefully incising the bronze. It's not paint, but the way the artist has shaped this metal surface, carving and modeling, reminds me of painting. I think of the artist's touch, the subtle gradations of the figure in relief, and the simple inscriptions. It's a portrait of a man, G.M. Kam, gazing into the distance on his eightieth birthday. I wonder what Wienecke was thinking as he made this? Maybe he was contemplating the passage of time, the weight of history, and the enduring presence of the individual. I love how the incised marks almost resemble brushstrokes, each line contributing to the overall form and texture. Artists are always in conversation, riffing off each other, translating ideas from one medium to another. This little plaque is a reminder of that ongoing exchange, that artists are always looking and learning and finding new ways to express themselves.