Portret van een onbekende Japanse vrouw c. 1900 - 1920

This is a photograph of an unknown Japanese woman by T Jingu. It's hard not to look at this and imagine the artist with the camera, trying to get the lighting just right. What do you think she was thinking, sitting for this portrait? Did she feel shy, or was she excited to be seen? I feel her gaze holds a whole world. It reminds me that photography, like painting, is a way of making a presence felt. It's like reaching out across time. I like thinking of the artist, too, and how they composed the shot, maybe adjusting the light or asking her to sit a certain way. These little choices, they’re all part of how the picture comes to life. Artists make images of other images, and it keeps going, an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time.