Zelfportret van Ernst Freiherr von Bibra c. 1850 - 1878

Curator: Welcome. We're standing before "Self-Portrait of Ernst Freiherr von Bibra," a pencil drawing dating from around 1850 to 1878. Bibra was, among other things, a German author and natural scientist. Editor: You know, it has this uncanny, dreamlike quality. The way the portrait seems to almost float on the page, the soft gradations of the pencil…It's as if I'm looking at a memory, or maybe a ghost. Curator: The realism is softened somehow, certainly. Considering Bibra's varied intellectual pursuits, his role as both scientist and novelist, it's compelling to see him represent himself through such a... gentle, perhaps even romantic, lens. Self-representation, of course, is always a construct. Editor: Right, this isn't just some snapshot of reality, is it? And look at that direct gaze... There's a challenge there, almost a hint of defiance. He is daring you to interpret him. Curator: It’s important to remember the sociopolitical context in which this work was created. This era saw an increased desire among academics to both understand and make the world more navigable. Editor: And I guess, making a portrait of yourself is the start of making yourself a character... His expression really does strike me. What I am reading is an artist attempting to reveal not merely the person he believes he is but the sort of character he wants to play in the future, almost as if he’s already writing that narrative arc with every deliberate pencil stroke. Curator: The inclusion of "Vorwärts!"—"Forward!" in German—is key. The drawing functions as more than just an exercise in vanity. Instead, it makes a public statement on scientific progression and optimism. Editor: So it's a manifesto! How can a drawing be a manifesto? I suppose that looking forward meant knowing the past, in a sense, so maybe making a record of himself gave him strength. Curator: Absolutely. Von Bibra clearly used self-portraiture to engage with important social currents while immortalizing himself in his era. Editor: I came into this thinking the portrait might only convey sentiment and introspection, but seeing the work placed in a historical, social setting completely shifts my view.