Portret van een man met snor 1880 - 1930

This portrait of a man with a mustache by E. Heury has a dreamy, sepia quality. The artist's focus seems to be on the face, and in particular that magnificent mustache! The sepia tones are so subtle, it almost feels like the color has been washed away by time. The way the light catches the man's suit is so interesting. It feels like the artist is exploring the textures and surfaces of the man's clothing almost like they might if they were painting. I keep coming back to that mustache, though. That amazing bit of facial hair! It is like the painter is embracing ambiguity and multiple interpretations over any fixed ideas about what it means to be a man. Think of the surrealists, like Magritte, or even someone like Man Ray who messed with photography and identity. This piece shares that spirit of playful questioning.