Portret van Theodor Herzl in Bazel 1902 - 1904

This photographic portrait of Theodor Herzl in Basel, whose maker is now anonymous, shows us Herzl looking over the river, a bridge connecting one bank to the other. I wonder what the photographer was thinking? What made them press the shutter at that moment? I’m a sucker for hands; I’m immediately drawn to Herzl’s hands as they rest on the bridge. It reminds me that painting and photography are both embodied practices. We can sense the maker’s presence through the choices they make. Was it like this? Or was it like this? How did they feel holding the camera in that specific moment? Did they get a sense of the thoughts going through his head? It’s like that for painters too; our gestures and movements as we paint are really conversations with all the painters, photographers and artists who have come before. They are an invitation to other artists to join in the discussion and leave their own mark. We are all in this together, constantly nudging each other.