Portret van Louis de Cussy 1802 - 1898

Auguste Thomas Marie Blanchard created this portrait of Louis de Cussy as an engraving. Note how Blanchard has structured this piece around the interplay between positive and negative space. The subject, Louis de Cussy, emerges from a pale backdrop, his figure built from delicate networks of lines. These lines coalesce to define form, create tonal variation, and model the texture of fabric and flesh. Blanchard’s strategic deployment of hatching and cross-hatching suggests not only the fall of light but also the weight and volume of the figure. The composition, while seemingly traditional, is rendered with a lightness that destabilizes the conventional weightiness of portraiture. The formal characteristics of the artwork are significant: the delicate balance of light and shadow, the emphasis on line, and the strategic use of space all contribute to a viewing experience that transcends mere representation. It becomes an exercise in seeing how much can be conveyed with minimal means.