Schaduwbeelden 1875 - 1903

This is Jan de Haan's 'Schaduwbeelden', a striking print that plays with the stark contrast between black and white to create silhouetted portraits. The composition is rigidly structured into a nine-panel grid, each framing a notable historical figure rendered in minimalist cut-out style. De Haan’s visual language uses the interplay of positive and negative space to define each subject. This echoes the structuralist concept where meaning is derived from binary oppositions. Note how the artist reduces complex facial features and elaborate costumes to essential shapes and lines. This abstraction invites us to consider how identity can be constructed and deconstructed through visual representation. The effect is both graphic and subtly unsettling. Observe how the use of negative space gives each figure a unique presence. De Haan challenges fixed meanings, and invites endless interpretations.