Ivan Ribotpierre 

Editor: This is Dmitry Levitzky's portrait of Ivan Ribotpierre. It’s a drawing, academic and neoclassical in style. What jumps out at me is how... staged it feels. The sitter is very deliberately posed, the clothing ostentatious, but he also doesn't meet the viewer's eye. How do you see this portrait fitting into the art and social context of its time? Curator: That feeling of deliberate staging is key. Consider the rise of portraiture during this period, particularly amongst the elite. It was about crafting a public image. How much do you think Ribotpierre's clothing is about personal expression versus signalling his social standing and allegiance to particular power structures? Editor: Definitely more about signalling. It feels like almost a uniform. I guess the slight awkwardness could be because he's uncomfortable with that level of performance? Curator: Precisely. Levitzky was working in a time of immense social and political change in Russia. Catherine the Great was pushing for modernization and westernization. Consider how this portrait, in its embrace of Neoclassical ideals, functioned within that project. To what extent does this image present Ribotpierre as a figure of established authority, and to what extent does it suggest the fragility of those hierarchies in a rapidly changing world? Think about who would be seeing this portrait. Editor: Okay, I get that, the display of power to maintain order! I guess it could work to project stability even when there were conflicts at court. Now when I see it, I realize it isn't just an individual, it's a statement about power. Curator: Exactly! Seeing this portrait of Ribotpierre allows us to see it is also part of the wider discussion on nation-building, class, and political visual language of the time. Editor: Thanks, that makes much more sense.