Portret van Jöns Jacob Berzelius Possibly 1850 - 1858

This is Hendrik Anthony Frederik Agathus Gobius' portrait of Jöns Jacob Berzelius, made in 1850 using lithography. The portrait's formal structure is immediately striking, as the figure dominates the visual field, compelling our gaze. The composition is classically balanced, yet there's a palpable tension between the subject's calm demeanor and the dynamic hatching that brings the figure to life. Gobius uses a limited tonal range to sculpt form and texture, with an emphasis on line to define shape. The effect is one of restrained energy, a kind of visual stoicism. Consider how this reflects an emerging scientific rationalism in art. The formal simplicity and balanced composition lends the work a sense of classical order. The lines and form become signs themselves, hinting at a deeper structure of representation. Gobius’ lithograph invites us to consider how form and content converge, and how art, like science, is a structured system of meaning.