Portret van een onbekende man 1806 - 1877

Curator: Let’s delve into Jean-Baptiste Madou's "Portret van een onbekende man," created sometime between 1806 and 1877. The medium is engraving and print, and it's held at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It's a striking image! The man’s gaze is intense, and the engraving has a real weightiness to it. What catches your eye about this work? Curator: As a materialist, I'm drawn to the process. Consider the labor involved in creating such a detailed engraving. Each line meticulously etched, reflecting not only artistic skill but also a particular social context. These prints democratized portraiture to some extent, but who had access to them? Was the process aligned with the social class depicted, given the man’s military garb? It encourages thinking about how images circulated and the labor involved. The engraver him/herself - their social standing and financial gains - need to be investigated. Editor: That's fascinating – I hadn't considered the economic factors so closely. So you see the work itself as embodying the social structures of the time? Curator: Exactly. Look at the materials, too – the paper, the ink. These weren't universally accessible. Who controlled the production and distribution of these materials? The availability and cost of these resources impacted artistic production, especially during this period of shifting class dynamics and burgeoning industrialization. Do you agree it reflects power? Editor: It’s definitely food for thought, to look beyond the sitter’s gaze and think about the whole industry that produced the portrait! Curator: Precisely. It compels us to think about how artistic production is never truly separate from the world around it. Editor: I’ll definitely look at art differently from now on!