Jean Jacques Rousseau 19th-20th century

Editor: This portrait of Jean Jacques Rousseau, by Gustav Kruell, has a slightly unsettling mood for me. What do you make of it? Curator: Ah, yes, the philosopher of the Social Contract, eternally caught between revolution and introspection. I see a certain defiance in his eyes, a refusal to be tamed by polite society, underscored by the wildness of that fur hat. Do you see it too? Editor: I do! It's like he's saying, "I'll play your game, but on my terms." Curator: Precisely! Kruell captures that beautifully. The hand gesture, too, seems like a quiet challenge, doesn't it? Rousseau was a complex character, after all. Editor: Definitely food for thought. I'll never look at Rousseau the same way again.