Portret van Carel Steven Adama van Scheltema 1897 - 1949

This printed portrait of Carel Steven Adama van Scheltema is made with ink on paper, probably sometime around the late 19th century. The mark making here is all about clarity and precision, every line carefully placed to define the contours of his face and the folds of his clothing. It's interesting to think about the process, the labor that went into creating this image through the medium of printing. The stippling is incredible. Look at the way the light catches on his forehead and nose. There is a real sense of volume and depth, despite the flat surface of the page. You might compare this to the work of someone like Chuck Close, who also uses a grid-like structure to build up his portraits, but with a very different effect. In the end, art is always a conversation.