Portret van Willem III, koning der Nederlanden 1835 - 1845

Curator: Here we have a rather captivating drawing; it’s a portrait of Willem III, King of the Netherlands, dating from somewhere between 1835 and 1845. It now resides here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: There's a certain youthful melancholy about him, wouldn’t you say? Almost fragile, despite the stiff formality of his attire. Makes you wonder about the weight of expectations. Curator: Indeed. What’s compelling here is how this artist—unfortunately, we don’t know who—has rendered such formality with only graphite and pencil on paper. Consider the paper itself, almost certainly hand-laid. This would have been a relatively inexpensive method of creating an official portrait that could be reproduced, circulated… Editor: Reproduction… like, early days of memes for monarchical legitimacy? I imagine him reproduced on everything. Still, pencil – there's an immediacy there, a feeling of intimacy, despite the grandeur of his...are those epaulettes? They look heavy. Curator: They are weighty. But that's part of the strategy. Each deliberate mark with graphite establishes status, connecting the ruling body directly with representation as commodity. Notice the shading around his jaw, defining his features. A lot of pressure applied there… Literally! It’s also about how a person’s image gets consumed and turned into currency. Editor: Mmm…currency with a side of wistful boy-king. I keep getting drawn to the details of the chair, the almost dreamlike swirl around his figure. There’s a tension between the strict realism of his face and the softness surrounding him. It gives the whole portrait an ethereal quality, which somehow clashes nicely against the militaristic rigidity of his pose. Curator: Precisely. So much can be communicated through relatively basic materials if you understand the cultural and socio-economical systems in place. These lines become political, the tones have agency. And what do they advocate, precisely? Editor: Good question! I’m walking away with more empathy for Willem. Those expectations. And maybe a touch of skepticism about anyone’s portrayal in graphite and grandeur! Curator: And for me, the interplay between materials, reproduction, the dissemination of power—it really does make you wonder about the silent agreements upholding such constructed realities.