Portræt af Sigurd Müller 1893 - 1931

Ingeborg Andréasen-Lindborg made this etching, Portræt af Sigurd Müller, presumably in Denmark. It's an intimate portrait; the kind of drawing you make when you're really looking, patiently watching a person in front of you. The drawing is delicate, with fine lines hatching across the surface, giving a sense of volume to Müller's face and beard. Look at the way Andréasen-Lindborg uses line to describe the contours of his face, especially around the eye and the cheekbone. There's a real tenderness in the way she captures his features. The hand that props up his face is lightly rendered, as though barely there, or even as if the sitter is holding up the weight of time. The print reminds me of other portraitists like Whistler, who used etching to capture a sense of atmosphere and character. Ultimately, like all good art, this little portrait leaves room for questions, inviting us to bring our own experiences to the encounter.