Portret van een onbekende man 1907

Johan Henri Gustaaf Cohen Gosschalk made this portrait of an unknown man with pencil on paper. The artist coaxes a huge amount of subtlety from graphite, pushing it almost to the point of chiaroscuro. Look closely at the direction of the marks around the nose and forehead. There's an intensity there, but it doesn't end up feeling overworked, it just builds a palpable sense of presence. There is no real attempt to conceal the mark-making, no attempt to blend the pencil strokes into smooth gradients. Each line seems to have a life of its own, yet they harmonize beautifully. It reminds me a little of some drawings by Van Gogh, where the act of drawing itself becomes a way of understanding, and even feeling, the subject. Both artists show us that ambiguity and multiple interpretations is where the life of the artwork breathes.