Portret van W. A. van den Worm 1835 - 1898

Editor: This is "Portrait of W. A. van den Worm," a pencil drawing by Gerardus Johannes Bos, created sometime between 1835 and 1898. It's a rather formal depiction; the subject is very stiff. I'm curious, what do you read into the sitter's pose and expression? Curator: There's a stillness, isn't there? It's almost like looking at an ancestor. The realism grounds us in a particular era but perhaps the stiffness comes from the constraints and expectations around portraiture at that time, the desire to project an image of respectability. What strikes me is how much personality still shines through the conventions of the time. You get a sense, perhaps, of youthful ambition, maybe a hint of nerves. Do you think it succeeds as a character study? Editor: It's more than just a document. The details in the waistcoat are exquisite. But ambition? Really? His eyes seem a bit sad to me. Curator: Sadness is a thread through much of the art of that period. Remember this portrait was created during a time of incredible social upheaval and, arguably, some pretty heavy expectations. It makes you wonder what Van den Worm was thinking about when he posed for this, what he wanted people to see in him. Or more heartbreaking, perhaps it reveals a glimpse of the self he might have hoped to be. The light catching his eye also hints at a kind of hidden fire. Editor: It's incredible to think about a life captured in a drawing like this. Makes you feel connected. Curator: Precisely. We might be separated by centuries, but art allows us to share that small spark, the human spark of emotion and reflection.