Prof. Hans von Haberer-Kremshohenstein c. 1935

Hugo Erfurth made this intriguing photograph of Prof. Hans von Haberer-Kremshohenstein, but we don’t know exactly when. It’s got this ghostly quality, like a memory surfacing, right? The sepia tones feel both antique and timeless. It’s the kind of color you get when the past is trying to speak to you. Look at the way the light catches the professor’s face, all those soft gradations creating form. It's a delicate process, revealing and concealing simultaneously. Then there's that stark white collar, anchoring the composition and drawing your eye. The crossed swords give a sense of status. The way his hands are folded, almost disappearing into his dark suit, reminds me of Gerhard Richter’s blurred portraits. There's a similar ambiguity. Is it a clear representation, or something more elusive? It’s an ongoing conversation, this dance between visibility and invisibility.