Portret van Georg Herwegh 1824 - 1899

Editor: So, this is “Portret van Georg Herwegh,” an engraving, probably done sometime between 1824 and 1899, by C. Dittmarsch. The detail is incredible given the medium, but there’s almost a haunted quality to his eyes. What do you make of this portrait? Curator: Haunted, yes, maybe weighed down by something he's seen or carries with him. Engravings, they have this beautiful commitment to capturing details and in a way feel hyperreal and raw, almost more real than real. You know, an engraving almost has this haunting feeling, in that it has this ghost of mark-making involved. How does his gaze make *you* feel? Editor: Definitely intense, a little unnerving. Like he's looking *through* me, not at me. It’s interesting how the cross-hatching almost dissolves into the background too. Was realism a common approach for portraits back then? Curator: Absolutely, it was about capturing a likeness, a truth, though inevitably interpreted. Realism wanted to reflect what exists and almost freeze it in time for eternity. Think of how this approach to portraiture sits within other approaches to recording an individual: photos versus painted portraits. Does that realism add to his intensity, do you think? Editor: I think it does, definitely. It's like there's no filter, nothing to soften the impact. Like here is a moment, permanently etched. Curator: Etched… beautiful. A mark fixed. Editor: This piece made me realize how much emotion an artist can convey, even in black and white. Curator: Me too. Seeing this engraving makes me curious to find other works by Dittmarsch to delve deeper.