Portret van een jongeman met een snor 1867 - 1904

This is a portrait of a young man with a moustache by Johannes Ephraim. While undated, the photographic technique gives us a clue as to when it was made. The sepia tone and oval format give it an old fashioned appearance, and evoke a sense of nostalgia. Note how the composition is structured around a series of nested oval shapes; the man's face, the frame around the portrait, the hairstyle, and the very subtle curve of his shoulders, all echoing the oval format. The artist positions the man so the ovals don't sit symmetrically within one another. Consider too, how the sepia tones and framing conventions act as cultural signs. These visual elements help us understand the social and cultural meanings encoded in the artwork. In this case, the visual syntax speaks of a time when portraiture signified status and social identity, before photography became democratized. Even in a relatively straightforward portrait, the arrangement of forms encourages us to consider how meanings are created through structured arrangements.