Portret van een onbekende man en vrouw 1887 - 1928

Wilhelm Frederick Antonius Delboy made this photographic print of an unknown man and woman at an unknown date. The photographic process is interesting; it's about capturing light and shadow, which is not dissimilar to painting in a way. Look at the way the light falls across the woman's face, how it defines the curve of her cheek and the line of her jaw. The lack of colour adds to the somber mood, focusing attention on the texture and tone of the image. It is a study of light and dark, just as much as it is a portrait of two people. Delboy’s eye captures more than just their likenesses. Looking at this, I am reminded of the portraiture of Nadar, whose work also embraced a certain realism, a lack of idealization. It shows the exchange of ideas across time, highlighting how artists continue to explore and experiment with different ways of seeing and representing the world. There's no right or wrong interpretation, just a continuous conversation between the viewer and the work.