Portret van Henrik Ibsen 1905 - 1906

This portrait of Henrik Ibsen, made by an anonymous artist, is small but mighty. I think of the photographer, hunched over their equipment, adjusting the focus, waiting for Ibsen to give them something, anything! A flicker of personality, maybe. I can imagine the darkroom, the smell of chemicals, the careful dance of light and shadow to coax an image into being. The tones are muted, almost monochromatic. The surface has a slight sheen, like old skin. But it's the texture that gets me. Look at the beard, it's like a cloud that has settled on his chest. Ibsen seems to be daring you to try and understand him. I think this photograph really speaks to the fact that artists are always in conversation with one another, even across time. This portrait, like all art, is a form of expression that embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for so many different readings.