Karikatuurportret van de kunstschilder David Joseph Bles 1836 - 1900

This is Elchanon Verveer’s caricature portrait of the painter David Joseph Bles. It is a drawing using graphite on paper. The first impression is one of elongation and distortion: the figure's exaggerated height and the bend of his body create a dynamic, almost unstable composition. Verveer plays with visual codes of bourgeois identity, such as the top hat, the walking stick, and the tailored suit, exaggerating these elements to satirize Bles’s social persona. The stark contrast between the meticulously rendered details of his clothing and the wild, almost chaotic depiction of his hair and facial features destabilizes traditional portraiture. This deliberate formal juxtaposition can be interpreted through semiotics, where these elements act as signs. The wild hair and the off-kilter gaze challenge conventional representations of the sitter, suggesting the sitter's detachment from societal norms. The overall composition uses exaggeration not just for humor but as a critique of representation itself, questioning the values and categories typically upheld in portraiture.