Prof. Hans von Haberer-Kremshohenstein c. 1935

This portrait of Prof. Hans von Haberer-Kremshohenstein by Hugo Erfurth really strikes me. It's one of those silver gelatin prints, giving it a unique, almost ghostly quality. I can imagine Erfurth in his studio, carefully composing this shot. Maybe he wanted to capture not just Haberer’s likeness, but also something about his intellect, his presence. The way the light catches his glasses, that intense gaze – it makes you wonder what he was thinking, what kind of man he was. The surface is so interesting – it almost feels like you could reach out and touch the texture, feel the weight of the paper. Erfurth was part of a whole movement of artists pushing photography to be more expressive. He was in conversation with other portraitists and painters of the time. Looking at his photographs I feel like I'm looking at the history of image making, and the evolution of art. It’s a reminder that all art forms build on what came before, inspiring new ways of seeing and feeling.