Portrait of Martine McCulloch 1910

Gertrude Kasebier made this photograph, Portrait of Martine McCulloch, at the turn of the 20th century. It's just so soft and contemplative, isn't it? It feels like a painting in some ways, with all the subtle shifts in tone. I love how the light drapes over the figure, almost sculptural. You can see the way Kasebier has worked with the light to create different textures. Look at the way it catches on the beads of her dress, and then softens into the folds of the fabric. It's all about feeling. It makes me think about how artists, whatever the medium, are always trying to find new ways to translate feeling into form. Kasebier's got this incredible sense of intimacy and empathy that reminds me of Julia Margaret Cameron, who was making work several decades earlier. It's that same interest in capturing something beyond just the surface appearance of the sitter. What is this woman thinking? What is she feeling? That's the magic.