Ingekleurd portret van een man met snor en bolhoed c. 1920 - 1940

Ceko made this painted portrait of a man in a bowler hat, and I find myself wondering about the relationship between the sitter and the artist. The colour palette is subdued; it's like a grayscale image that's threatening to burst into full colour. It's a study in the subtleties of black, white, and grey. I imagine Ceko, staring intently, trying to capture the essence of this mustachioed gentleman. Perhaps the artist was thinking about how to convey dignity, but also a certain reserve? There's a kind of tentative quality to the brushwork, especially in the background, as if the painting were being coaxed into existence, layer by layer. I think about other portrait painters, like Alice Neel, who also sought to capture something beyond mere likeness. We can feel the push and pull between artist and sitter across time and space. It’s like they’re all in conversation with one another.