Portret van een jonge man in uniform 1895 - 1920

B. Thiele created this photographic portrait of a young man in uniform, and it makes me think about all the layers of identity we perform and capture. It's like, what was Thiele thinking, framing this young man in this oval? The rigid formality of the uniform is softened by the curve, right? I keep wondering how the subject felt, posing, probably trying to look brave and serious. Does the uniform weigh him down or lift him up? You can almost feel the texture of the cloth, the weight of the braid, the crispness of that cap. I like to consider how artists have conversations across time, riffing on each other's ideas. Photography offers a way of seeing that painting envies. It offers the allure of the real. Ultimately, painting and photography are forms of expression and inquiry. They embrace uncertainty, allow for multiple readings. The meanings shift depending on who’s looking, and when.