Mann mit Spitzbart im Profil nach links (angeschnitten) 

Curator: Ah, this sketch gives off such a wonderfully tentative feel. I love that you can see the artist grappling with the form, trying to capture the essence of this person in just a few fleeting lines. Editor: And what a person! We’re looking at a work currently titled *Mann mit Spitzbart im Profil nach links (angeschnitten)*, which translates to “Man with Pointed Beard in Profile to the Left (cut off)." The drawing is attributed to Hieronymus Hess and resides here in the Städel Museum’s collection. Looking at it, I find it particularly fascinating how the "cut off" element reflects power dynamics, the way partial depictions can silence or diminish a subject. Curator: It is cropped quite tightly, isn't it? Though I get the sense it was more about the artist honing in on that striking beard and profile, really wanting to understand that particular shape. It’s like a little whisper of a person, more about suggestion than statement. Plus, you can really feel the materials—pencil and ink on paper, a simple, humble set up to generate this intimacy. Editor: True, but the humbleness of the materials contrasts with the complex historical context in which male portraiture served to elevate social standing. I wonder if Hess's choice to crop the image, to render it in such a delicate manner, could be a subtle commentary on these established norms? After all, the gaze—the artist's gaze and the viewer's—becomes incredibly important here. Curator: I think so, too. The other markings all over the page lend it such an off-the-cuff aura. It makes the whole image seem far less serious and more playful. What if we see it as less about the subject’s status and more about an encounter? What if it captures a real exchange between artist and model? I find myself thinking about how easy it is to assign a grand purpose to art sometimes and that a study like this can remind us how joyful drawing and discovery is at its very core. Editor: That resonates deeply! By encouraging us to consider the artwork’s immediate experience of creation, you also offer us ways to see the history of portraiture itself as open for re-evaluation. Curator: Yes. And sometimes that is exactly what's needed to cut through the... ahem, beard! Thanks for lending me your view! Editor: The pleasure was all mine. Thank you.