Study for portrait of unknown man 

Maurice Quentin de La Tour made this pastel portrait of an unknown man in 18th-century France. It provides a fascinating insight into the social role of portraiture during the Enlightenment. La Tour was a master of pastel, a medium that allowed for a soft, flattering depiction of the sitter. During this period, portraiture became increasingly popular among the middle classes as a way of displaying their wealth and status. Artists like La Tour, who were members of the Royal Academy, played a key role in shaping these norms. The images had to flatter the sitter to show how society thought people should present themselves. It encouraged the idealization of the individual as a marker of class status, and reinforced a particular vision of social order. To truly understand portraits like these, we can examine sources such as letters, diaries, and financial records, to understand the conditions in which it was made and consumed. The meaning of this work, like all art, is contingent on its social and institutional context.