Portret van Hyacinthe Loyson before 1902

This photogravure of Hyacinthe Loyson, was made by Frédéric Boissonnas, sometime between 1858 and 1946. I am so curious about the image-making process. I am thinking about how the artist decided to position Loyson, a book resting at his fingertips, gazing upwards, in profile. In what kind of conversation did the artist and the model engage? What were they trying to achieve in this portrait? I guess the idea was to capture a certain dignified likeness... maybe some kind of 'inner self'? What I like about this image, apart from the slightly romantic composition and dramatic lighting, is the quietness of the subject. He looks like he is daydreaming, full of thoughts, removed from the scene. Thinking about how the subject is positioned in a domestic interior brings to mind other portraitists, like Vuillard, and Bonnard, who tried to use the domestic sphere as a space to convey intimacy and psychological depth. They are all in conversation.