Silhouet af Prof. Joachim Michael Geuss i profil t.v. 1794

This is Frederik Ludvig Bradt's silhouette of Professor Joachim Michael Geuss. Made with etching, this print offers us a glimpse into the cultural and intellectual life of 18th-century Denmark. Silhouettes, like this one, were a popular way to capture a person's likeness, and they speak to ideas around identity and representation. Geuss, a professor, is framed by symbols of learning and perhaps military service. The inscription below the image suggests a life dedicated to leading, not to kill, but to save. What interests me most is how this image exists at the intersection of public persona and private identity. The silhouette, by its very nature, flattens and simplifies, turning the individual into a symbol. Yet, it's also a powerful reminder of the human lives behind historical figures. How do we reconcile the personal with the political, the individual with the collective? It is this tension that makes this seemingly simple silhouette so compelling.