Jacques Marguet de Norvins 

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres made this portrait of Jacques Marguet de Norvins using graphite. Ingres was working during a time of huge social change in France. The French Revolution had just happened, and there was a lot of discussion about who had power and how society should be organized. Portraits like this show the importance of individual identity during this period. As traditional hierarchies were challenged, there was a growing interest in celebrating individual personalities. Ingres’s choice of graphite is particularly interesting. It allowed him to capture the details of Jacques's face and clothing with remarkable precision. Consider how Ingres uses light and shadow to create a sense of depth and volume. Look at Jacques’s eyes. Do you see a hint of emotion? Does this connect to the ideas about the power of the individual circulating during this time? This portrait captures a moment in time but also speaks to the broader cultural shifts of the era.