Portret van een man met hoed in de hand 1889 - 1914

This is Louis Devolder’s "Portret van een man met hoed in de hand," and looking at it, I’m struck by the browns and creams, a very tonal piece, which makes me think about the sepia quality of old photographs, and the way that memory itself tints things. Imagine Devolder carefully posing the man, arranging the hat just so, capturing the details of the uniform with precision. I wonder what the man was thinking, sitting there for the artist? Did he feel important, exposed, vulnerable? The slight blurring around the edges gives it an atmospheric quality, like a half-remembered dream. Painters are always in conversation with each other across time. Each brushstroke, each decision, builds upon what has come before, and offers something new. I think of Luc Tuymans. Painting is a way of thinking, feeling, and seeing the world, all at once. There’s no fixed meaning here, just an invitation to look, to wonder, and to feel.