Portret van Pieter van Bleiswijk 1787

Aert Schouman painted this watercolor portrait of Pieter van Bleiswijk in 1787. The visible brushstrokes give us insight into Schouman's method. You see the paper support right through the thin washes of color. With watercolor, the artist coaxes out an image, drop by drop. The nature of the material lends itself to capturing the likeness of a refined subject. Consider what it would have meant to sit for this portrait. The quill pen, inkwell, and wax seal reference Bleiswijk’s status as a man of letters, of civic importance. Schouman has created not just an image, but an ideal. It’s a delicate performance rendered through the controlled application of pigment and water. Looking closely at the way the artist worked, we understand that this portrait is about more than just representation. It speaks to a precise moment in history, capturing a specific social class through its aesthetics and the labor required to produce such an image.