Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema 

This is a drawing of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema by himself, the date is unknown, but the medium appears to be ink on paper. The portrait, rendered in stark black and white, immediately conveys a sense of formality. Notice how Alma-Tadema employs dense, cross-hatched lines to sculpt the contours of his face and beard, a technique that adds depth and volume. This meticulous mark-making is not merely descriptive; it's an exercise in structure. Each stroke seems deliberately placed to define form. The rigorous structure is apparent in the way lines converge to create shadows and highlights, shaping the facial features and giving the subject a palpable presence. The composition, tightly cropped around the head and shoulders, directs our gaze to the artist's eyes, which possess a directness that invites scrutiny. Yet, despite the evident skill in rendering detail, there's a certain flattening effect, a tension between three-dimensionality and the inherent two-dimensionality of the medium. This piece underscores how line and form function to create an image that is both a likeness and a carefully constructed representation.