Portret van Charles Gounod 1880 - 1884

This portrait of Charles Gounod by Wilhelm Benque exists within the pages of "Paris-Artiste," highlighting the intimate relationship between printmaking and portraiture. The paper itself, likely mass-produced, speaks to the industrialized nature of image dissemination in the late 19th century. The portrait, reproduced through photogravure or a similar process, carries a distinct texture and tonal range, evidence of its mechanical reproduction. This process, while capable of capturing fine detail, also flattens the image, reducing Gounod's presence to a reproducible commodity. Consider the labor involved: from the paper mill workers to the typesetters and press operators, each contributing to the final product. The portrait transforms Gounod into a figure of public consumption, available to a wide audience, and enmeshed within a network of social and economic relations. This reminds us that even intimate depictions are shaped by broader forces of production.