Character Sketch n.d.

Editor: This is John Hamilton Mortimer’s "Character Sketch," date unknown. It’s a pen and ink drawing on paper. The lines are so expressive, they really capture a gruff and somewhat comical persona. What draws your attention when you look at it? Curator: Well, it’s important to see this piece within the context of 18th-century artistic and social trends. Mortimer was known for his interest in the grotesque and the theatrical. These “character sketches” catered to a growing public fascination with individualized portraits and physiognomy – the idea that one could read a person’s character through their facial features. Notice how the strong contrasts created by the ink give this man a rather severe look? Do you think this says something about how people thought about social status in that era? Editor: Interesting! It seems like the artist exaggerates the facial features to emphasize a certain social standing, perhaps? Curator: Exactly! The art market was evolving. There was a growing demand for art that spoke to contemporary concerns and anxieties. Mortimer’s art fulfilled this desire. In museums today, his drawings provide insight into the aesthetics of masculinity as a performance, and perhaps an implied comment about the social roles and power structures of that time. Editor: It makes me consider the power of institutions in shaping artistic expression! Curator: Precisely! Museums are vessels through which these social critiques are revealed in unique and refreshing ways. I see how my perceptions can be enriched with further analysis.