Portret van Georg Christian Lehms 1715

This is Martin Bernigeroth’s “Portret van Georg Christian Lehms,” an engraving with dense, meticulous lines, whose interplay shapes the figure and brings depth to the scene. Bernigeroth's approach is striking. The subject, Georg Christian Lehms, emerges from a field of fine hatching; notice how the artist directs the lines to define the curves of Lehms's face, and the elaborate wig that frames it. The composition is structured around a strong contrast between light and shadow, creating a sense of volume and texture. Consider the way Bernigeroth uses line not just to depict, but to construct the form. This is not merely a representation of Lehms, but a careful arrangement of visual elements. The semiotic density rewards careful looking, revealing a complex interplay of signs and significations embedded in the work's very structure. Meaning is not imposed from without, but generated from within the system of the artwork itself.