Portret van Marie Battinga 1902 - 1906

This is a portrait of Marie Battinga by Stephanus Adrianus Schotel, made with photography. The grayscale gives it such a sense of depth, like looking into the past. The soft gradations are really beautiful. I'm struck by the texture of her lace collar, and her hair. It's so detailed, it makes me think about how the artist might have felt about her. And how long it took for him to make the piece. Photography is a process. It's not just about capturing an image, but about creating something new. You know, portraiture always makes me think of the artist Luc Tuymans. He also plays with grayscale, and has a very particular relationship with the photographic image. I think artists like Schotel and Tuymans show us that art is never really finished, it's just a conversation that keeps going.