Portret van een jonge man 1880 - 1925

Alexander Möhlen made this portrait of a young man, in what looks like a photograph, sometime between 1860 and 1930. It’s a tiny thing, like a little window into another time. The sepia tones lend an air of nostalgia. You can almost smell the old paper, right? It looks like the image may have been added to a pre-printed card as the frame around the image has been printed with the background. The portrait itself is smooth, with a delicate touch, focusing on the young man’s face. The lack of visible texture almost makes it feel like a memory, softened by time. I’m struck by the button on his jacket, right at the center. It’s a small detail, but it anchors the composition and draws you in. The young man in the picture looks a lot like a young Egon Schiele, don't you think? Though Schiele’s portraits are much more angular and raw, this photograph has a tenderness that reminds me of the best portraiture from that period. Like all good art, it invites us to look closer and find our own connections.