Portret van Pieter Wilhelm Adriaan Cort van der Linden 1902

Hendrik Johannes Haverman made this portrait of Pieter Wilhelm Adriaan Cort van der Linden in 1902. Haverman's delicate pencil lines capture the profile with such precision and care. I imagine Haverman, studying his subject, gently shading and building up tone to reveal the character of the sitter, each mark responsive, intuitive. You can almost feel the soft give of the graphite on paper, building up layer by layer, like a slow reveal. Look at the beard, each hair delicately rendered, creating texture and form. It’s like Haverman is sculpting with light, bringing Cort van der Linden to life right before our eyes. The subtle shading around the eyes suggests a depth of thought, a quiet intensity. Painters are always in conversation across time, inspired and influenced by those who came before. Haverman probably knew, or knew of, other great portraitists, and it is through the act of drawing, that these encounters take place.