Portret van Beint Mankes 1914

Jan Mankes created this print, *Portret van Beint Mankes*, and what strikes me is the swirling, almost hypnotic lines that define the face, giving it a life of its own. You can sense Mankes' hand moving across the plate, each line carefully etched, building up the form through a kind of meticulous frenzy. I imagine Mankes, hunched over his work, completely absorbed in the process. Was he thinking about his subject’s inner life? Was he trying to capture more than just a likeness? The lines feel like they're mapping not just the skin, but the very thoughts and feelings of the man. The whole thing is like a drawing, but more than a drawing, because you feel the metal and the acid. This print reminds me of other artists who use line to build form and emotion, like Käthe Kollwitz, or even some of the early Expressionists. Artists are always in conversation, you know, sharing ideas across time. Each mark is an echo of a previous mark, and a whisper to those that will come after. It's a beautiful, ongoing exchange.