Portret van een man, aangeduid als Gerard 1900 - 1920

Here's this photograph, "Portret van een man, aangeduid als Gerard," by P. Hermann, and it looks like it's been lifted from a photo album. I can imagine the meticulous setup, the anticipation of capturing a likeness, but in the end, the subject appears to be a man caught between stoicism and an attempt at something warmer. The sepia tones feel like nostalgia itself, a wash of memory trying to solidify into something graspable. Those soft gradations of light and shadow probably involved a lot of careful chemistry. There’s something about the rigid formality of the pose that just seems so distant, yet the artist has managed to capture a glimpse of this man's personality. Painters and photographers are always circling each other, borrowing and responding to one another’s techniques, and that’s how the conversation keeps going. Every image we make adds to this ongoing dialogue, so what do you think, what do you see?