Portret van mijnheer Michels 1859

Curator: This drawing, simply titled "Portret van mijnheer Michels", was created by Joseph Schubert in 1859, and it now resides in the Rijksmuseum collection. Editor: Immediately, I’m struck by this almost photographic quality, the detail is incredible. The soft greys create such a calm, almost melancholic mood. It’s incredibly stately but with this faint undercurrent of vulnerability somehow. Curator: Absolutely, it's a beautiful example of the academic style of the time, executed with incredible realism. Note the man’s attire; the details in his suit and cravat speak volumes about his social standing. We can even infer his respectability and seriousness. Editor: True! That confident pose, leaning so casually against what I presume is an armchair, while holding, perhaps, a neatly folded letter in his hand. Though the way he is holding it so deliberately, feels to me like he is guarding some secret! Do you feel a particular narrative in those compositional details? Curator: I see what you mean! From my point of view, it seems he is literally holding himself in a way which expresses both relaxation and reserve. It could suggest a self-consciousness around his place and role. The carefully chosen outfit, the precise execution in his stance; it’s all part of crafting the image of someone keen on presenting his authority to society. The chair, though seemingly casual, actually works like a symbol anchoring him in a comfortable status, but at arm’s length. Editor: I’m also thinking about the absence of setting – almost no backdrop beyond his shape and silhouette—that gives all the weight and importance to Michels. So it really feels like his very self is being showcased and considered, like we are seeing everything of interest and value already laid out for observation. The picture is saying that he and what he represents is the only real interest. Curator: Indeed, that limited background amplifies the symbolic potency invested in his person. The entire image serves as a declaration of the subject's worth, carefully documented for posterity through Schubert's skilled hand. There is very little, other than himself. Editor: I keep getting pulled back to his face – this odd mixture of serene and cautious, knowing and yet ever watchful. But thanks to Joseph Shubert’s great skill and art, we're also able to peek into someone who once inhabited this earth and left behind just… this. Curator: Ultimately, what remains is an enigmatic visual riddle. And it reminds us about identity, performance, and what is left of our selves once we are gone.