Portrait of the Sculptor Nicolas Le Brun 1635

Charles Le Brun painted this portrait of the sculptor Nicolas Le Brun, though its exact date remains elusive. It captures the sculptor with a remarkable confidence as he gestures towards a male nude sculpture. Note the sculptor’s pointing finger, a gesture that carries echoes of classical rhetoric and divine authority, reminiscent of John the Baptist in Renaissance paintings, beckoning towards spiritual awakening, or perhaps the finger of God. Now, consider how this motif has been refigured throughout history, surfacing in secular contexts to denote intellectual prowess or artistic inspiration, linking Nicolas Le Brun to a lineage of creators across time. Perhaps there is something that remains subconsciously that relates to the authority of knowledge and skill, like those days gone by when the artist was a divine messenger. The way we respond to it, then, holds a psychological connection to our past. The motifs do not travel in a linear direction, but return in the most unexpected places; this time, it manifests in a sculptor presenting his creation.