Portret van Gerhart Johann Robert Hauptmann before 1903

This photographic portrait by Aura Hertwig captures a moment in time, fixing an image of the sitter in monochrome. The photograph is simple, a portrait of the playwright Gerhart Johann Robert Hauptmann, and yet so much is captured here. I wonder what it was like for Hertwig to make this portrait? Did she feel the weight of history? How carefully she must have considered the lighting, the pose, the mood, and the backdrop to create a perfect likeness of the playwright. There is a stillness here, but also a sense of intimacy and the photograph feels so personal and immediate. As a painter, I always consider the work of other artists, what has come before, and how we inspire each other across time, because that’s how painting moves forward.