Portret van Cornelis Brouwer in ovaal 1670 - 1704

Curator: Here we have Cornelis Dusart’s “Portret van Cornelis Brouwer in ovaal,” created sometime between 1670 and 1704. It’s currently part of the Rijksmuseum's collection. What are your first impressions? Editor: Stark! Almost austere. The tight oval frame focuses everything on his face, and that strong chiaroscuro... it's like peering into a dimly lit room. I immediately zero in on the hand clutching that book, doesn't he look nervous? Curator: Dusart worked primarily with pen and paper to make this drawing. Note how the precise, delicate lines give form to everything. The way he depicts the folds of the cloak, or the texture of that oversized hat… You get a sense of both Brouwer’s presence and, dare I say, his status through the craftsmanship itself. Editor: Right. And I’m struck by the tension between the sitter’s apparent wealth, implied by the costume and even that carefully rendered book, and the inherent *materiality* of the drawing. The scarcity of color makes me feel as though it must be quite old, the paper likely a handmade, fibrous thing—there's a tangible link to its production, I find it so amazing. Curator: The Golden Age, when the portrait was made, certainly produced its fair share of flamboyant art. In the sea of those portraits with saturated pigments, the fact that Dusart was not generous with his colors certainly draws the eyes. Editor: It absolutely does. Makes one wonder about the cost of materials, the economic forces shaping artistic choices then. Pen and paper were probably more accessible, democratic. Who made the paper, how, and for whom? Curator: True. And this might also affect our understanding of who this artwork addresses to. Portraiture tends to speak power. Dusart managed to democratize it in this drawing. The slight smirk, the almost comic proportions... he humanizes Brewer. Editor: I appreciate you unpacking the social implications tied up with his approach to his resources! Thanks to this discussion, now when I look at "Portret van Cornelis Brouwer in ovaal,” I notice the story is just beyond the man’s gaze.