Portret van Petrus Johannes van Regemorter 1822

Guillaume Philidor Van den Burggraaff created this portrait of Petrus Johannes van Regemorter using etching and engraving. Van Regemorter was a master of drawing, professor of the Academy of Antwerp, and member of several academic and service societies. This image comes to us from a time when the Enlightenment's emphasis on reason and individualism was giving way to new social structures. The portrait, with its stark realism, tells us much about the identities of the time. We see Van Regemorter, an educated man of the upper class, presented with dignity. How are we to consider the role of artists during these times? This portrait could be considered not just an image, but a negotiation of social roles and personal identity against the backdrop of a changing world. It invites us to consider the lives of individuals, and how they navigated the currents of their era.