Portret van Johan Arnold Zoutman 1858 - 1862

This is Frederik Hendrik Weissenbruch’s “Portret van Johan Arnold Zoutman,” a work of unknown date, held at the Rijksmuseum. The lithograph captures the sitter in stark monochrome, which offers a study in contrasts. The subject is set against a backdrop of a seascape, the crisp detail of the ships starkly juxtaposed with the sitter's soft features. Weissenbruch employs a formal composition, focusing on the contrast between light and shadow. The composition uses a semiotic system; notice the maritime setting, which may symbolize Zoutman’s naval achievements. The calculated use of space draws attention to the sitter's direct gaze, suggesting a discourse between the viewer and the artwork. The artist's choice of lithography, with its capacity for detailed lines, mirrors the sitter's precise stance. It serves to both immortalize Zoutman and question the fixed representations of power and identity. Weissenbruch’s lithograph is not just a portrait but a study in the semiotics of representation and the power of the gaze.