Portrait Carl Hagemann 1925 - 1926

This is Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s portrait of Carl Hagemann, etched with stark lines into a copper plate. The glasses are a striking feature, aren’t they? Circling the eyes, they suggest not just sight, but insight, almost a visionary quality. Think back to ancient Roman portraiture, where philosophers and emperors alike were depicted with similar knowing gazes. Then, leap forward to the Renaissance, to portraits where spectacles began to symbolize wisdom and scholarly pursuits. These circular lenses, framing the eyes, have become a potent symbol, reappearing throughout history. Now, consider how Kirchner has rendered them. The stark lines, the almost mask-like quality they impart—they aren't merely functional. The artist uses them to convey a deeper psychological dimension, a sense of modernity. The glasses become a lens through which we view not just Hagemann, but the anxieties and intellectual fervor of the early 20th century. It’s a potent image that speaks to our collective memory of knowledge and perception.