Portret van Eugène Verboeckhoven c. 1834

Editor: Here we have "Portret van Eugène Verboeckhoven," made around 1834 by Jean-Baptiste Madou. It's an engraving, so a print of some kind. There’s something quite serious and refined in this image; how would you interpret this piece? Curator: Serious and refined, yes, but also…constrained, wouldn’t you say? Look at the tight posture, the way the coat seems to almost bind him. It makes me wonder about the expectations on someone being portrayed at that time. Editor: Interesting. What kind of expectations? Curator: Well, think of it! An engraving, likely commissioned. It’s a statement, isn’t it? Not just “here’s what I look like,” but “here’s what I represent." Almost a performance of respectability, in a way. Editor: So you’re seeing the portrait as communicating respectability? It is formal, I can see that. It makes you wonder about what kind of relationship the artist had to his patron, the person who sat for this engraving. Curator: Precisely! I always find it’s as much about the silent narratives as the bold statements. We can imagine an agreement – or perhaps gentle power play – between artist and sitter. And also the societal constraints: does it also mirror, perhaps, what’s missing? What’s repressed or idealized in the sitter’s identity. Editor: I guess that is what makes this an example of romanticism – capturing those emotions indirectly through portraiture. I hadn’t thought of it that way. I was mainly focused on the technique! Curator: See, it's that push and pull. Romanticism sought that drama, sometimes inward-looking. An interesting discussion, no? Editor: Definitely, a portrait is more than just a likeness.