Portret van een staande man met hoed, jas en wandelstok 1900 - 1905

Jacobus de Vries Gzn. made this small portrait of a man with hat, coat, and walking stick probably with a camera, and a darkroom. It feels like a performance of seeing, where the surface is not just a record but an active participant. The light is soft and muted, kind of like the visual equivalent of a whisper. I think the artist probably chose this technique to make the ordinary seem extraordinary, giving us a peek into the sitter's inner world. You know, making art is like having a conversation across time. De Vries might have been looking at Rembrandt's portraits, thinking about how to capture a person's spirit, not just their image. And now, we are looking at de Vries, and thinking about the world through his lens. It’s a constant exchange, each artist building on what came before, adding their own spin.