Grotesque profile: man in a high cap c. 1629

Curator: Here we have "Grotesque profile: man in a high cap" a drawing in ink by Rembrandt van Rijn, around 1629. It's part of the collection at the Rijksmuseum. What’s your take on it? Editor: First thought? Mischief! The quick, almost scribbled lines give him such a sly look. And that cap! It’s like a wild explosion of…something! It completely undermines any sense of stately portraiture. Curator: It’s interesting you use the word ‘mischief.’ “Grotesque,” of course, originally denoted a style of decorative painting popular in ancient Rome, rediscovered during the Renaissance, which included fanciful, distorted human and animal forms. It tapped into an aesthetic that combined humor and horror. Editor: Definitely a mix here. There's something slightly unsettling in those tightly drawn lines around the mouth and chin that plays off the ridiculous hat. Almost like he’s in on some private joke at our expense. Curator: Right. And look how Rembrandt uses light and shadow— even with the economy of line, the modeling of the face hints at underlying structure and, arguably, interiority. The cap, the way it is almost casually sketched on the top of his head and the slightly exaggerated features can be interpreted through social roles of the time. Editor: Makes me wonder, what sort of person WAS this? Maybe a theatrical type? He has that…air. You can just see him hamming it up on stage. The profile also suggests a particular self-awareness, like he's constructing a persona even in a quick sketch. It feels playful, this study. Curator: It is indeed considered a ‘study’, the work suggests elements of both character study, perhaps for larger history paintings. And in this profile view we can observe a sort of social commentary about persona and perhaps class during that period. The rendering captures what's fleeting or hidden in one’s everyday social presentation. Editor: I think that sums it up! It captures something really lively in that single profile, almost feels like a snapshot. I’ll be wondering what this cheeky guy’s up to for the rest of the day. Curator: Exactly! A quick ink sketch of a face that seems to hold centuries of human expression within it.