Zittende man in middeleeuwse kleding before 1909

This is Eduard Augustyns’ print of a seated man, probably made sometime in the 19th century. The guy’s got this thoughtful pose, right? Like he's pondering some deep, medieval problem. But the way Augustyns renders the stripes on his shirt, or the folds in his cloak – it’s all about line and texture, the etching process itself. Check out the cross-hatching around the figure, see how the lines build up to create volume? It's like Augustyns is building up the image one tiny stroke at a time. The more I look, the more I fixate on the man's hands and their placement. It reminds me of Dürer, who also was fascinated by skin and volume. There’s a real conversation happening here, across centuries and media. A print like this is a reminder that art is not just about the final image, but about the way of seeing that goes into making it. It's a conversation about line and form that keeps going.