Portret van een man, mogelijk de schilder Paolo Veronese 1838 - 1847

This is Pio Canossini’s portrait of a man, possibly the painter Paolo Veronese. It is a monochromatic rendering whose hatching evokes a strong sense of depth. The composition centres around a man's head and torso, framed against a neutral background. The artist employs a formal structure that is both classical and subtly unsettling. Note how the use of shadow and light models the face, creating a tension between surface and depth, presence and absence. The man's gaze, directed slightly off-centre, adds to this unease. Semiotically, the costume – the ruff, the doublet – signify status and identity. Yet the artist's rendering destabilizes these conventions. The sharp, etched lines and the restricted palette flatten the image while simultaneously drawing attention to the materiality of the print itself. Ultimately, Canossini challenges traditional portraiture by emphasizing form over content, questioning the stability of identity and representation.