Carel Joseph Anton Begeer (1936) 1936

Jacob Jan van Goor made this bronze medal of Carel Joseph Anton Begeer in 1936. The surface is smooth, almost like skin, but the details are sharply rendered. The way the light catches the high points of Begeer's face and the fabric of his suit is really interesting. You can almost feel the weight of the metal, but also sense the artist’s careful touch. Look closely at the inscription around the edge, how the letters rise up out of the surface. I wonder what kind of tools Van Goor used to achieve this precision? This piece reminds me a little of some of the portrait medals made by Pisanello during the Renaissance. Both artists share a similar interest in capturing not just the likeness of their subjects, but also their character and status. In the end, art gives us more questions than answers and that's why I love it.