Portret van Eadweard Muybridge before 1905

This is a portrait of Eadweard Muybridge, seemingly captured within the pages of a book, a relic of a time when photography was alchemy. The stark monochrome palette emphasizes the sharp lines of his face, particularly his magnificent beard. Looking at the texture of this photographic print, I'm drawn to the way the light catches on the paper’s surface. It’s almost as if the image is trying to escape the confines of the page, to break free from the fixed moment it represents. The artist, whoever they were, managed to imbue a sense of depth, a certain gravitas, into such a small format. Notice the way his beard frames the image, it's almost as if he's daring you to find the end of it. It reminds me of some of Gerhard Richter's blurred portraits. Both artists, in their own ways, invite us to consider the nature of representation, the elusiveness of truth, and the beauty of imperfection. It's a good reminder that art is an ongoing conversation across time, full of uncertainty and endless possibilities.