Untitled (Dancer Charlotte Bara) 1922

Hugo Erfurth made this photograph of Charlotte Bara, sometime in the early twentieth century. Look how the light pools around the dancer’s face and hands, the stark contrast against the dark backdrop. It’s almost sculptural, isn't it? Erfurth coaxes the form out of shadow with light. See the way the light catches on the ridges of his brow, the deep lines etched by time. And those hands, gnarled and weathered, a lifetime of expression held within them. The texture of his beard, so soft it almost seems to float. The details are so minute, so delicately rendered. It reminds me of Käthe Kollwitz's prints. There’s a similar emotional intensity, a shared interest in the human condition. But where Kollwitz used line and form to express suffering and resilience, Erfurth employs light and shadow to reveal the quiet dignity of the individual. Art is always about finding new ways to see old things, I suppose.