Portret van Ludwig von Siegen 1644

Reinier van Persijn created this portrait of Ludwig von Siegen, the renowned German soldier and amateur printmaker, using mezzotint. Observe how the textures and the tonal gradations form the portrait within an oval shape. The light seems to emanate from the figure itself, set against a darker background, giving it a strange luminosity. Van Persijn harnesses the new mezzotint technique mastered by von Siegen to produce an image with rich textures and tones by roughening the plate with tiny dots, and then smoothing areas to create lighter tones. The image shifts our understanding of the relationship between light and dark, figure and ground through the technical process itself. Here, the formal qualities extend beyond mere representation, challenging our understanding of portraits as static representations. We are invited to consider the portrait as a dialogue between light and shadow, technique and artistry, representation and abstraction.