Portret van een vrouw 1871

Jules Ferdinand Jacquemart created this print called 'Portret van een vrouw'. The portrait references the formal conventions of Renaissance portraiture, a genre closely associated with wealth and power. Let's consider the time in which Jacquemart was working. In 19th-century France, the institutions of art, such as the Salon system, had a strong influence on artistic production. Artists often looked to the past, drawing inspiration from historical styles and themes. This aesthetic, known as historicism, was a way of legitimizing contemporary society by connecting it to a grand historical narrative. By creating a print in the style of a Renaissance portrait, Jacquemart participates in this historicizing trend. The choice of a print, rather than a painting, suggests that this image was intended for a wider audience, perhaps commenting on the changing social structures of his own time. To understand this artwork better, we could research the Salon system, the history of printmaking, and the social conditions in 19th-century France. Art history is not just about the artwork itself, but about understanding its place in a larger cultural and institutional context.