Portret van Jhr. F.H. van de Poel 1900 - 1903

This portrait of Jhr. F.H. van de Poel was created by Stephanus Adrianus Schotel, but, you know, with photographs, it's not really about the "when," is it? It's about the now that's already gone. Look at the way the edges of the man seem to fade into the background. It's almost like he's a ghost, or a memory. I can feel the texture, the grain of the paper, the way the light hits his face. It's all so carefully composed. But it feels, still, like a found object. The kind of photograph you discover tucked inside the pages of an old book. And the man himself? His eyes are intense. As an artist, I find myself wondering about the relationship between the photographer and the subject. How much of himself did Schotel put into the image? You can see it there in the details: in the soft focus of the background, and in the way the light catches the man's face. Maybe it's a bit like the portraits of Nadar, capturing not just a likeness, but a mood.