Portrait of Count František Josef Žerotín 1836

This is a portrait of Count František Josef Žerotín, created by Alexander Clarot, using oil on canvas. Oil paint is really interesting, because it allows for incredibly fine detail. Think of the way light plays on the Count’s eyeglasses, and especially the astonishing embroidery on his coat. The use of oil allows Clarot to convincingly depict the textures of fabric. Look at the sumptuousness of his velvet cloak, the formality of his high white collar. But the material also implies something about the Count himself. Oil paint was relatively expensive, and time consuming. It was a marker of wealth and status. This portrait, then, is not just an image, but an assertion of social class. It tells us as much about the system in which the Count lived, as it does about his individual features. When we look at artworks, we can see them as the end result of many processes, all converging in one object.