Saint Paul 1950

Here is the audio guide script: This etching is Frederick Arnold Dirnfeld’s Saint Paul. Imagine Dirnfeld bent over the plate, scratching away with his tools. A network of fine, dark lines coalesce to give us this profile. Look how these marks build form, the light catching on the bridge of his nose, the sharp curve of his brow. I wonder what Dirnfeld was thinking as he worked? Was he imagining Saint Paul’s life, his travels, his writings? Or was he lost in the sheer physicality of the process, the resistance of the metal under his hand? The lines are so close together in places they create a deep shadow, like a weight of experience. Notice the lighter areas suggest a certain vulnerability, especially around the eye. That repeated stroke defining the beard is really interesting. You can feel the artist’s hand in that gesture, almost compulsive. This piece reminds me a little of Rembrandt’s portraits – that same intensity and psychological depth, and their shared commitment to the line. Artists are always talking to each other across time, you know, borrowing and building on what came before. Each mark, each choice, it’s all part of this ongoing conversation.