Portret van een man met snor en bril 1864 - 1893

This is Abraham Koorenhoff’s small portrait of a man with a mustache and glasses. The oval shape of the central portrait creates a focal point, framed by the linear precision of rectangular borders. The sepia tones and the subject’s formal attire evoke a sense of historical distance. Note how the artist positions the man’s face in a three-quarter view, allowing light to gently shape his features. Koorenhoff's composition highlights the contrast between the soft gradations of light on the face and the sharp lines of his suit. Consider the structural elements at play here. The portrait, set within a frame inside a book, becomes an object within an object. The use of linear structures around organic shapes plays with traditional portraiture, inviting us to contemplate the relationship between representation and reality, and the way identity is framed and preserved.