Max Dauthendey 1910

Nicola Perscheid made this black and white portrait of Max Dauthendey at an unknown time, using photographic methods. The whole piece feels kind of soft, smudgy, with the details of the man's face and clothes emerging from a misty background. I get the sense that Perscheid wanted to play with light and shadow, creating this dreamy, almost melancholic atmosphere. It's like he's using the camera almost like a paintbrush, blurring the lines between reality and something more imagined. The way the light catches the side of Dauthendey’s face, for instance, that sharp line of light, almost bisecting the cheek, really pops out. It reminds me of those old symbolist portraits, where the artist is trying to capture not just what someone looks like, but also something about their inner world. Thinking about the work of someone like Edward Steichen, who also was trying to push photography into a more expressive, painterly realm, feels relevant here. It's this idea that art isn't just about capturing reality, but about transforming it.