Portret van een onbekende man before 1903

This photo, ‘Portret van een onbekende man’ by Max May, is a great example of how light and shadow can shape a face, a mood, an entire world. The grayscale palette offers a directness, making the texture and form more prominent. There’s something about the way the light catches the side of his face, defining the cheekbone and jawline, that’s so compelling. You can almost feel the smoothness of his skin against the sharpness of his suit. The soft gradient of light creates a subtle halo effect around his head, which enhances the overall sense of depth and three-dimensionality in the photo. Thinking about other artists, like Gerhard Richter, who also played with grayscale in portraits. Both show the power of reduction, stripping away the distraction of color to focus on form, texture, and the subtle nuances of light and shadow. Art is a process of looking, feeling, and making, and there’s always more than one way to see the world.