Mr Johan Herman de Lange van Wijngaarden (1759-1818). Schepen van Haarlem 1800 - 1820

Charles Howard Hodges made this portrait miniature of Johan Herman de Lange van Wijngaarden, a magistrate of Haarlem, using pastel on paper. Pastels are pure pigment, ground and rolled into sticks, offering a directness of touch unlike oil paint. The artist coaxes a likeness from the surface, building up layers of dry color, one on top of another. The unforgiving nature of pastel demands careful planning and a steady hand. Hodges skillfully captures the texture of Wijngaarden's powdered wig and the soft glow of his skin. Small portraits like this one were luxury goods, increasingly in demand among the rising middle class. They are a product of a society that valued individual identity and personal connection, an increasingly mobile society where having a portrait was the next best thing to a visit. Looking closely at the material and the making reminds us that even the finest art is rooted in process, skill, and the social context of its creation.