The Painter Johan Frederik Vermehren 1866

This is a plaster bust of The Painter Johan Frederik Vermehren by H.W. Bissen, and stands 65cm high. Bissen, working in the 19th century, lived in a time of significant social and political change in Europe. Bissen was a Danish neoclassical sculptor. His works often reflect the values of the time, with a focus on idealized forms and classical themes. This bust of Vermehren seems to capture not just the physical likeness of the painter, but perhaps something of his essence, or at least, the essence that Bissen wished to convey. Consider the choices Bissen made in sculpting Vermehren. How does the set of his jaw, the gaze in his eyes, or the cut of his beard speak to notions of masculinity? What does it mean to immortalize Vermehren, a painter, in the form of a classical bust? Bissen's sculpture invites us to consider how identity is constructed and represented through art.