Henry Clay c. 1840

Charles Wesley Jarvis rendered this portrait of Henry Clay with ink and graphite on paper. We see Clay depicted in a suit with a high collar, a convention for portraying statesmen at this time, linking him visually to notions of authority and intellect. This image of uprightness reminds me of countless portraits throughout history, each carrying the weight of its era's ideals. Consider the Roman busts, with their stoic expressions, or even the later Renaissance portraits, where the sitter's attire and posture speak volumes of their status and moral fiber. But what happens when these symbols are removed? The modern portraits that strip away the accoutrements of power, are they any less imposing? Perhaps the absence itself becomes a statement, a different way of engaging with the viewer, inviting a new kind of psychological reading, stripping away the facade of rank and social status.