Portret van een onbekende man 1766

Johannes Körnlein rendered this 'Portret van een onbekende man' in an unknown year with pen and brown ink, accented with red chalk. There is a distinctive air of the Enlightenment to this piece; an embrace of reason and individuality. Yet, this portrait, like many from its time, is far from egalitarian. The man's assured gaze, accentuated by the fashionable hat, speaks to a certain societal privilege, a visual shorthand for class. The use of red chalk to highlight the man's features suggests an attempt to capture his unique essence, a very modern notion. However, it also begs the question: whose stories were deemed worthy of preservation? The unnamed subject is a member of the elite class, which reminds us of the many faces and experiences that are consciously, or unconsciously, omitted from the historical record. While the drawing presents an individual, it also reflects the societal structures and power dynamics of its era, leaving us to ponder the identities and narratives that remain unseen.