Zelfportret van Christian von Mechel (?) c. 1755 - 1780

Curator: Ah, yes, the proposed self-portrait of Christian von Mechel. Created sometime between 1755 and 1780. What strikes you first about this engraving? Editor: It has a ghostly quality. The background seems to fade into the figure's silhouette. It’s as if he is emerging from the paper itself. Curator: Indeed, there is something quite ethereal about it. Mechel, a Swiss engraver and publisher, was a pivotal figure in the neoclassical art scene, particularly in printmaking. This is pencil on paper with engraving, fitting in with his well known skills. What of the structure, here? Editor: Well, his profile, stark against that somber backdrop, embodies neoclassical restraint. The precise lines emphasize a sense of order. It feels very…calculated. The stark contrast adds an almost philosophical feel. Do you pick that up? Curator: Calculated is a very apt word, I feel. Although I see more emotion here. Look at the softness around his eyes, the slight downturn of his mouth, I perceive an undercurrent of melancholic introspection. Almost shy, but confident enough to record this image in self portraiture. Editor: It's funny you say shy because the high forehead created by the receding hairline and bouffant wig lends an undeniable air of intellectual arrogance, doesn’t it? Also note the detail of his frilled cravat. I suspect the print speaks more of ambition than shyness. Curator: You're certainly right about the ambition. Yet, is there something subtly subversive here? He challenges the idealized images. Even the artistic elite dared to be seen outside perfection, grappling with their reflections, perhaps. Editor: Ultimately, that friction is what captivates me: the tension between vulnerability and presentation, artifice and reality, captured in simple strokes. It lingers. Curator: Yes. A study in contrasts. His quiet influence echoed, resonating through generations, right up to this very moment. I hadn't expected the complexities in this piece!