Oude man met baard en muts in wijde mantel met bontkraag before 2007

This is Antoine de Marcenay de Ghuy's etching of an old man, made sometime in the 18th century. Look at the way he's built up this image bit by bit, line by line. It's a real slow burn process, a testament to patience. What strikes me about this piece is the texture, or the illusion of it. I mean, it's just lines on paper, but Ghuy coaxes out the fluffiness of that fur collar, the crinkles around the old man's eyes. There's a real density to the beard, each strand a tiny decision. And notice that cross hanging from his neck, like a little anchor in this sea of grey. It's so much about surface, even though it's just ink. The man's gaze is off to the side, like he's caught in a memory. It reminds me a bit of Rembrandt, that same attention to the quiet dramas of the face, the weight of time etched in lines. But Ghuy has his own touch, a kind of delicate intensity. It's like he's saying, "Look closely, there's a whole world in these details."