Portret van een jongeman met een strik 1860 - 1877

Editor: This gelatin silver print, "Portret van een jongeman met een strik," by Bernardus Bruining, circa 1860 to 1877, is remarkably well-preserved. The composition is fairly straightforward. What do you see in the way that Bruining uses form to capture this young man? Curator: Formally, it’s the oval shape within a rectangular frame that immediately captures my attention. The soft gradations of light and shadow are interesting, especially the way the light catches the boy’s cheekbone and the texture of his hair, set against a rather neutral, grey-toned background. The circularity and the sharp angles, one inside the other, what does this relationship evoke in your estimation? Editor: I suppose the soft oval and serious expression suggest introspection, even melancholy, while the more harsh rectangle might indicate some social constraints? The choice of frame makes it very intimate and formal. What makes this image striking from your point of view? Curator: Well, let us consider the texture achieved in the hair, the bow tie, and suit juxtaposed against the smooth planes of the face. The very material quality of the gelatin silver print itself, the tonality, and the physical process imbue a particular weight, a seriousness. And the somewhat unsettling gaze of the subject that seems both present and distant, is it intentional? This balance of textures and tones builds a complex visual dynamic within the ostensibly simple composition. Editor: The different perspectives really enhanced my understanding of this photograph. The form gives so much more than I initially considered! Curator: Indeed, by analysing form we understand and decode an artwork beyond its simple subject, but get at the underlaying intent, emotion and understanding.