Rabindranath Tagore 1920

Muirhead Bone etched this portrait of Rabindranath Tagore, and I'm immediately drawn to the way he's built up the image. The drawing emerges from a ground of delicate marks, like a memory taking shape. I imagine Bone, squinting, trying to capture not just Tagore’s likeness but also his spirit, his gentle wisdom. The lines around Tagore’s eyes and mouth aren't just wrinkles, they're like rivers carved by experience. I like how the hand appears out of nowhere, hanging in mid-air, and that it isn't resolved. Did Bone mean to leave it unfinished? Or is it an invitation for us to complete the portrait? Bone was known for his architectural subjects, but he also drew portraits. Maybe he approached a face like a building, mapping its structure, its history. Anyway, it makes me think about the many ways that artists have looked at each other across time, an ongoing conversation in marks and gestures, echoing in the silence of the studio.