Mandshoved med høj hat 1904

Cilius Johannes Konrad Andersen made this etching of a man in a top hat, perhaps around the turn of the century. I can imagine the artist bent over the plate, the scratching of the etching needle a quiet, intimate sound. Think about it. He’s pushing into the metal, and he's using that force to create a likeness, to conjure someone up. Each tiny line a decision, a breath held. The delicate web of marks builds into a face, the weight of the hat, the curl of smoke from his pipe. There's a formalness to the composition, the man centered, presented, and yet those cross-hatched lines give him such life. There's a generosity to the face, a softness. I find myself wondering who this man was to the artist, what conversations they might have had. It’s like Andersen is not just showing us a man, but also a relationship. And how lucky are we to witness that, to share in this connection across time?