Dr. John Allen 1901

Here's my take: This is Timothy Cole's engraving of Dr. John Allen. It's all done in these tightly packed lines that feel like whispers of shadow, you know? I can imagine Cole, bent over his plate, carefully etching away, trying to capture not just Allen's likeness, but the very air of his study, the weight of all those books. There is a really neat bust in the background. What do you imagine Allen might have been thinking while he was reading? The way Cole uses the engraving tools it reminds me a bit of some of the old masters. The way they built up form with layer after layer of tiny marks. You can almost feel the scratch of the needle on the copper, the patient building up of tone. It's like he's having a conversation with them, across centuries, about light and shadow. It's a reminder that all artists are in dialogue, borrowing, stealing, and riffing off each other to make something new.