print, etching
aged paper
light pencil work
ink paper printed
etching
sketch book
personal sketchbook
journal
sketchbook drawing
storyboard and sketchbook work
sketchbook art
watercolor
Dimensions 3/4 x 1/2 in. (1.9 x 1.2 cm) (image)1 9/16 x 1 1/8 in. (3.9 x 2.9 cm) (sheet)
Jean-Pierre Norblin de la Gourdaine created this etching, entitled "Man in a Fur Coat," during a period of significant social upheaval and transformation in Europe. Norblin, who lived through the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon, captured nuanced observations of human life. Here, he presents a figure, viewed from behind, enveloped in what appears to be an expensive fur coat, a symbol of status and wealth in the 18th and 19th centuries. The man's posture and obscured face invite questions about identity and anonymity. Is he a member of the bourgeoisie, insulated by his privilege, or is he an outsider seeking to blend in? The ambiguity resonates with the shifting social landscape of the era. Norblin’s work encourages us to consider how clothing and appearance function as markers of identity. What do they reveal, and what do they conceal about the individual and the society they inhabit?
Comments
Jean-Pierre Norblin de la Gourdaine was a French painter and printmaker active in Poland in the late 18th century. Norblin's charming miniature etchings, representing mostly male heads, street sellers, and vagabonds, reflect both in subject and technique the profound influence of Rembrandt's prints. Norblin was also drawn to Polish subjects, capturing the unfamiliar, exotic world around him in his depictions of men with colossal fur hats and curled moustaches, Cossacks, and Polish historical figures.
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