Portret van Andreas Felix Oefele 1745 - 1797

This is Joseph Anton Zimmermann’s engraving of Andreas Felix Oefele. This portrait exists within a very specific historical and social context, the 18th century, a period defined by the Enlightenment and a rigid social hierarchy. Oefele, whose portrait is framed by an oval, likely occupied an elevated social position allowing him to commission this artwork. Zimmermann has captured Oefele in a way that speaks to the conventions of portraiture at the time, but with a crucial difference: in other similar images, a powerful man’s gaze would be directed at the viewer in a show of dominance. Here, Oefele looks slightly to the side. In this subtle gesture, Zimmerman opens up a space for a softer, less authoritarian representation of masculinity. Consider how the very act of memorializing an individual through portraiture upholds certain power structures, yet how artists like Zimmermann might also use this tradition to explore more nuanced narratives of identity. While seemingly conventional, this engraving delicately negotiates themes of power, representation, and identity.