Burgermeister Dr. Burchard 1911

This is Max Liebermann’s etching, Burgermeister Dr. Burchard, made using a metal plate. Look at those dry, scratchy lines, all those dark marks dragging across the pale paper! I think Liebermann is trying to get at something here, to capture an inner essence. What was it like to sit and etch a portrait of someone? I bet Liebermann had to do it pretty quickly, capturing the Burgermeister’s likeness in a frenzied, energetic way. I can imagine him working with speed and intuition, capturing the fleeting nature of a moment, so to speak. That pose, stiff, upright, slightly turned away... the etched lines suggest a certain formality, a hint of the sitter’s authority. There’s a vulnerability too though. With each stroke of the etching needle, Liebermann is in dialogue with other artists throughout time. It’s all one big conversation through mark-making, isn’t it? A conversation that continues to inspire and challenge us to see the world in new and unexpected ways.