Two Caricature Heads of Men 1794 - 1810

Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein made these caricatures with pen and brown ink on paper, and the immediacy of the drawing is what makes them so fascinating. The thinness of the lines, achieved with a fine-tipped pen, allows for a remarkable level of detail and expression. Look at the way the artist captures the texture of the upper man's curly hair with just a few strokes, or the subtle shading that defines the contours of their faces. The choice of brown ink gives the drawing a warmth and intimacy, as if we are looking at a page from the artist's personal sketchbook. But what do these drawings tell us about the artist's world? Caricature was a popular form of social commentary in the 18th century, and these exaggerated portraits likely poke fun at the foibles and pretensions of the artist's contemporaries. By focusing on the material qualities of the drawing, we can begin to understand the social and cultural context in which it was made, and appreciate the skill and wit of the artist who created it.