Portrait of Norman Louis Cappel Esq., 1933

Philip Alexius de László painted this portrait of Norman Louis Cappel, probably with oil on canvas. The colour palette has an overall muted tone. Imagine the artist standing at his easel, mixing colours, stepping back, squinting, then leaning forward again. I wonder what they were like, De László and Cappel. What did they talk about? Did Cappel sit still for hours, or did he fidget? I’m drawn to the way the light catches on Cappel's face, especially around his eyes. De László has captured a certain sharpness there; the rest of him dissolves into the darkness, so you get the impression of a thoughtful, intelligent man. The background is dark, like so many portraits of that era. What did it mean to be painted like this? It’s an exchange across time and an ongoing conversation.