Portret van J.G. v.d. Ligt 1910 - 1934

This is an undated photograph, a portrait of J.G. v.d. Ligt, made by an anonymous artist. It feels like a thoughtful study of a man in a suit, his features carefully observed. I wonder what the photographer was thinking, or what the sitter was thinking for that matter. It reminds me a little of those old black and white portraits by artists like Gerhard Richter, where the texture almost feels like it’s been pulled and stretched. It seems like a dance between chance and intention. There’s something so human about that—the way an image can emerge out of thin air, layer upon layer. It’s a reminder that art is really just one big, ongoing conversation. Everyone’s riffing off each other, remixing ideas, and pushing things in new directions. Each artwork, each artist is in dialogue with what has come before.