Mannenkop met gesloten ogen 1759

Christian Bernhard Rode created this print called 'Mannenkop met gesloten ogen', or 'Male Head with Closed Eyes', during a time of great intellectual and artistic change in Europe. Rode, working in the 18th century, found himself amidst the Enlightenment, a period that emphasized reason and individualism but also one with rigid social hierarchies. In this print we can see the head of a man, eyes shut, perhaps in contemplation or rest. Rode's choice to depict a man with closed eyes invites us to consider inner thoughts and private emotions, a quiet rebellion against the performative expectations of the era. The man's face is etched with lines that suggest experience and age. His beard, a symbol of masculinity, is rendered with meticulous detail. Rode, who served as Director of the Berlin Academy, was very interested in portraying human emotion, and used many models as studies for history paintings. Ultimately, this print invites us to reflect on the tension between public duty and private reflection, between seeing and feeling, and between the world as it is and as we dream it could be.