Silhouetportret van Cornelis Adrianus van den Broek 1776 - 1810

This silhouette portrait of Cornelis Adrianus van den Broek was made by Govert Kitsen in the 18th century. Encased in a neoclassical oval frame adorned with ribbon, the subject's profile is depicted as a stark black void. This form of portraiture was a popular, affordable alternative to painted portraits during that period. The silhouette itself, stripped of color and detail, evokes a primal form of representation, akin to cave paintings where shadows were the first images. The ribbons at the top of the frame, a motif often associated with celebration and commemoration, ties back to ancient Roman art, where ribbons adorned victorious figures and marked important occasions. Consider, too, how the silhouette conceals as much as it reveals, prompting viewers to project their own impressions and emotions onto the subject. This interplay between absence and presence, concealment and revelation, taps into our collective memory of shadow and light, echoing the eternal dance between life and death. The silhouette captures not just a likeness, but the very essence of memory and time.