Portret van Wigbold Muilman 1759 - 1792

This is a portrait of Wigbold Muilman, made by John Greenwood, rendered in tones of black and white. Muilman is positioned as though he is looking out from a window frame, a weighty curtain drawn beside him. Notice how Greenwood frames his subject, using the stone window to the left to create a stark, geometric contrast with the fluid drape of fabric on the right. This tension between the rigid and the soft draws our eye to the figure of Muilman himself. The book before him is presented almost as a structural foundation, a base that supports not just his hands but perhaps also his intellectual authority. The composition invites us to consider how individuals are constructed through the spaces they inhabit and the objects they value, reflecting ideas about identity and representation that were prevalent during the Enlightenment. Greenwood’s calculated use of light and shadow adds depth, enhancing the sense of a world viewed through a very particular lens.