Portret van een onbekende monnik 1882

This is Joseph Dujardin’s 1892 portrait of an unknown monk, rendered in etching. The portrait's most striking aspect is its dense network of lines, creating a tapestry of light and shadow that models the monk's features. These deliberate lines evoke a sense of depth and texture. Dujardin’s use of hatching and cross-hatching around the monk's face and beard accentuates the play of light across his skin. His gaze is contemplative, almost melancholic, further intensifying the emotional impact of the image. The tight composition focuses our attention, highlighting the monk's humanity. The etching technique allows for a certain level of detail, yet Dujardin uses it selectively. In focusing on the monk's face, the artist seems less interested in capturing a likeness and more invested in revealing the inner emotional life. It is in the precise arrangement of lines that we find the essence of this portrait.