Portret van Bertholet Flémalle 1711

Editor: We’re looking at Jean Duvivier’s "Portrait of Bertholet Flémalle" from 1711, an engraving on paper. The baroque style lends the portrait a rather formal air. I’m curious, what’s the symbolic significance of portraying an artist within an oval frame like this? Curator: The oval, you see, speaks to cycles and beginnings without end. Think of it – birth, death, and artistic immortality woven together. Flémalle, captured within, isn't just a man, but an enduring figure, reborn through the art of the portrait itself. He also painted religious works... Consider the weight of portraying a figure tied to both the sacred and the earthly. What feelings does that juxtaposition conjure for you? Editor: That's interesting, because I hadn’t made that connection. It does give the piece more depth, the fact he was a religious painter. The brushes and palette are right there to make sure we see that this is a working artist, it’s very direct. Curator: Exactly. And the tools aren't merely present; they’re practically presented. Think of them as emblems—sacred tools of creation. It’s like he is presenting those totems that would secure the viewer's recognition of the portrayed person’s talent, not simply their physical presence. What continuities do you see from baroque portraiture to the way artists are portrayed today? Editor: Hmm. Now that you mention it, that deliberate construction of identity, through carefully selected props, it does feel quite contemporary, still very present now in carefully curated images. Curator: Precisely. We are perpetually shaping and reshaping our own images, aren't we? Duvivier’s engraving serves as a poignant reminder that this impulse isn't new but rooted deeply in our shared cultural consciousness. Editor: Thanks, I see it very differently now. It really helps me understand how artists choose what they want the world to remember about them, and the many layers we assign to the image of artists through history.