Portret van Laurens Rijnhardt Beijnen 1897 - 1899

This is M. Weber's portrait of Laurens Rijnhardt Beijnen, likely a print, now held at the Rijksmuseum. The composition is dominated by the sitter’s head and torso, rendered in meticulous detail with tightly controlled lines. The stark contrast between the light areas defining Beijnen's face and the deep shadows of his coat draws immediate attention. The artist uses line and shading to convey texture and depth. This emphasis on the formal qualities of the subject’s likeness— the lines etching his features and the contrasting tones defining his form—speaks to a structuralist approach, reducing the individual to a set of signs within a visual system. This portrait operates within established codes of representation, yet it invites us to question how such formal structures shape our understanding of identity and historical significance. It reminds us that meaning is not inherent but constructed.