Portret van Richard Strauss 1925

Ferdinand Schmutzer made this portrait of Richard Strauss using a drypoint technique; it's all about the scratching and burr. I love how the hatching in the background feels so free, almost like scribbles, while the face is rendered with so much precision. The magic here lies in the drypoint. You can almost feel the artist dragging that needle across the plate, creating those velvety, blurred lines. Look at the way the light catches Strauss’s cheek – it’s all built up from these tiny, intentional scratches. That dense, scribbled background really pushes the face forward. It reminds me of some of Whistler’s portraits, where the figure emerges from a hazy atmosphere. Ultimately, art’s a conversation. It's not about answers, it's about keeping the questions alive.