Portret van G. Demoulin 1883

Auguste Danse created this portrait of G. Demoulin in 1883 using etching. In the 19th century, portraiture was less about capturing likeness and more about conveying social status. Here, Demoulin is depicted in the attire of a distinguished gentleman, the small size of the print suggests it may have been made for private use or a small circulation. The print was made in Belgium, a country then undergoing rapid industrialization and social change. Such portraits were important in constructing and reinforcing bourgeois identity. The institutions of art, like the Rijksmuseum where this is now held, play a role in preserving and interpreting these visual testaments to social history. To understand this piece better, we could explore the history of portraiture in Belgium or research the social circles of both the artist and the sitter. What was their relation to the cultural institutions of the time? Such investigation makes clear that artistic meaning is always bound to its social and institutional context.