Portret van een onbekende man 1900 - 1914

This photo, made by Atelier Phönix, is a window into another time. I like to imagine the artist at work in their studio, carefully arranging the sitter and props to create an impression. It’s a formal portrait of a man in a suit, but there's also a sense of the sitter’s personality coming through. Look at the way he holds the scroll in his hands, it gives him a kind of distinguished air. I wonder what he was thinking, what he wanted to project about himself? There is a conversation happening between the photographer and the subject, but also the camera and the viewer. Every photograph is a kind of collaboration and exchange of ideas, a chance to see ourselves and others in new ways. Just like the process of painting!