Portret van Pierre Bayle 1749 - 1784

Editor: So here we have "Portrait of Pierre Bayle," a print, specifically an engraving, made sometime between 1749 and 1784 by Johann Friedrich Schleuen. There's something so immediate about prints, even those centuries old, as if the sitter is right there with us. What jumps out at you when you look at this piece? Curator: Ah, yes, Pierre Bayle, what a fascinating figure. You know, sometimes I feel like these portraits aren't just about capturing a likeness, but an essence, almost a performance. See how his hand gestures, as if mid-sentence? It reminds me of capturing a fleeting thought, pinning it down with ink. It also brings into question who was Bayle, and how this medium help propagate a vision of who Bayle was at the time? Editor: A performance, that’s an interesting way to put it. What do you mean by that? Curator: Well, consider the Baroque era— it was a time of grand gestures and theatricality, which also permeated into their art. I imagine Schleuen considered this when creating this portrait. Do you get the feeling Bayle seems to have his own persona? Even that oval frame creates a stage! Editor: I can see that. I was so focused on the fine lines of the engraving, the way it captures light and shadow, but framing him in that light makes me appreciate the theatrics even more! I never considered it had so many potential contexts. Curator: Exactly! These works, even if 'just' prints, act as windows into the worldviews of people in different times, what's mundane and unsaid versus what had to be crafted into this stage, a captured 'performance.' It's amazing how one image can whisper so many untold tales. Editor: I’ll definitely be thinking about art as 'performance' now; It adds so much.