Portretten van geleerden en schrijvers after 1901

This book, "Portretten van geleerden en schrijvers" by H.M. Biesiot, is a collection of engraved portraits. It's like a who's-who of its time. Each portrait is framed in its own little world, an oval vignette, each a tiny story. The prints are mostly monochrome, with a hint of color, which feels appropriate, like looking through sepia toned photographs. Looking closely at the portrait of "Emanuel van Meteren" in the top right, the textures in his beard and face are created using a network of tiny dots and lines. This creates a delicate, almost ghostly effect, which makes you feel as though you are looking into the past. Thinking of artists making use of similar techniques, I am reminded of Chuck Close, who built enormous portraits from a grid of individual marks. Ultimately, art is a conversation across time, each artist building on what came before, finding new ways to see and share their vision.