Bald headed man in profile right: the artist's father (?) 1770 - 1803

Curator: Here we have "Bald headed man in profile right: the artist's father (?)" a small but compelling engraving by Constantino Cumano, likely created between 1770 and 1803. Editor: Wow, what strikes me immediately is this incredibly sensitive depiction, especially in how he renders the texture of the man's beard and coat with such intricate line work. It feels very intimate, almost like a memory fading into paper. Curator: It's interesting you say that. Portraits, especially those done in profile, are often meant to be quite formal and idealized. Yet here, there's a tenderness that transcends mere representation. I keep wondering what "story" does he want to express or deliver? Editor: The exposed neck and balding head almost seem to push against that formal tradition, doesn't it? Baldness in art has often symbolized wisdom or the passage of time, a life fully lived. And the dark cross hatching surrounding his head seems almost like an aura, but one tinged with melancholy. Curator: Right, the shading gives depth to his character, almost too much? Cumano almost builds his whole profile in shadow, not quite celebrating aging, but more acknowledging that this life is what formed him. Editor: I agree. Plus, his gaze. His eye is barely visible, but you still feel a sense of watchfulness, a quiet introspection. It could very well be the artist's father, or someone of significant paternal import; or maybe an archetype. Curator: That links up to the era it was made, no? It's not quite Baroque celebration but still rooted in a pre-revolutionary European thought? A man defining a cultural archetype... Editor: Exactly, it is like a man existing as an idea rather than in his being. What I admire most is how Cumano managed to convey so much with seemingly so little, using just simple lines, creating the feeling of a lived life etched in ink. Curator: This piece definitely reveals how a simple portrait is so much more than likeness - it really has become the symbolic record of a life lived with significance. Editor: I walk away wondering if I carry as much life in myself... and whether people are interested in taking note of that when the moment arrives!