Portret van Henry Gerbault 1904

This is Edgar Chahine’s ‘Portret van Henry Gerbault,’ made with etching. You can see the etched lines as they describe this figure, Henry Gerbault. I love how much information is packed into this scene and how the figure emerges from the shadows through the artist's focused marks. Imagine the artist, Chahine, working into the plate, building up the image through layers of line. He's carefully modulating the tones, creating depth, and describing the texture of the walls and the sheen of the objects around Gerbault. I love to consider the exchange between artists and sitter. The artist is making a careful study of their subject, observing details, while the sitter must remain present for the artist and their process. It’s an intimate exchange, and you can sense it in the details of the image. The history of art is so important to consider. Artists always work with the history of art in mind. They are forever in conversation, answering and responding to art from the past, opening our eyes to new ways of seeing and experiencing the world.