The Broken Mirror 1911

Timothy Cole made this small greyscale artwork called ‘The Broken Mirror’, and it’s now here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. I wonder if you agree that the scene has a melancholic, reflective mood? The poor woman stares down at something on the table in front of her, her face in shadow, as though she’s lost something. It’s dark, with lots of soft, smudgy lines creating the image. It makes me think of an old photograph – you know, the kind that captures a moment and then fades with time? I imagine Cole, pen in hand, trying to capture not just the scene but also the feeling of quiet sorrow. Maybe he was thinking about the fleeting nature of beauty or the pain of loss. Maybe he was just interested in the challenge of capturing light and shadow on paper. It has an atmosphere of introspection and quiet contemplation, like a visual poem. I think Cole and all artists, in their own way, are just trying to have a conversation with us, sharing their thoughts and feelings through the language of art.