Portret van Cornelis Ton 1890 - 1918

J. Siewers & Zoon made this photographic portrait of Cornelis Ton, and it's an intimate, small-scale affair. The sepia tones create a dreamy distance, softening the edges of this man’s face and clothes. It's like the photo is both there and not there, a trace of someone, or something. There's something so fragile about old photos. The paper, the way the light fades, it all contributes to this sense of holding a memory. You can almost see the individual fibers of the paper, like it's breathing. Look at the way the light catches in his eyes, but then fades into the shadows of his beard and suit. There's a dance between presence and absence, a push and pull that makes you want to reach out and touch it, like you could somehow bring him back to life. The portrait reminds me a little of August Sander’s project to document the people of the Weimar Republic. Both share a similar aim to capture a diverse cross-section of society, while also offering a glimpse into the personal lives of individuals. Ultimately, an artwork like this teaches us to embrace the blur, to find beauty in the imperfect, and to revel in the multiple layers of meaning.