A Man in Korean Costume (the head) 1626 - 1629

Willem Panneels created this red chalk drawing, "A Man in Korean Costume (the head)", in the 17th century. Panneels was a Flemish artist working at a time when Europe’s understanding of other cultures was limited and often filtered through colonial perspectives. The drawing captures the head of a man, presumably Korean, wearing traditional attire. While seemingly a straightforward portrait, it's important to consider the context in which such images were created and consumed. How does the artist represent the sitter, and what assumptions might be embedded in that representation? The concept of “otherness” is central here. European artists often depicted people from different cultures through a lens that emphasized their foreignness, thus reinforcing existing power dynamics. Consider the gaze of the subject, the details of the costume. What story do they tell? This drawing serves as a reminder of the complexities inherent in cross-cultural representation and the importance of questioning the narratives we inherit.