Vier portretten van acteur Ernst von Possart in de rollen Shylock, Napoleon en Advocat Berent 1890 - 1930

This small, anonymous print shows actor Ernst von Possart in costume, printed sometime who-knows-when using a process that yields soft blacks, greys, and whites. You know, the kind where you can almost smell the ink. The magic here is in the contrast between the crispness of the photographic portraits and the hazy blur that surrounds them. It’s like a memory, sharp in the foreground but dissolving at the edges. Look closely at the way the light falls on Possart's face as Shylock; the shadows deepen the contours, giving him an almost caricatured intensity. It makes you think about how we perform identity, how actors embody different roles, and how art captures these fleeting moments. It reminds me of Cindy Sherman's photographic work, where she transforms herself into different characters. In both cases, it's a reminder that art is not about fixed identities, but about the fluidity and ambiguity of representation.