Portret van de dichter en predikant Petrus Augustus de Génestet 1855 - 1886

This is Dirk Jurriaan Sluyter’s portrait of Petrus Augustus de Génestet, made using lithography. The image is dominated by soft greys and blacks which coalesce into a symmetrical composition. The oval vignette draws attention to the figure’s composed, if slightly stern, countenance. Sluyter masterfully employs hatching and stippling to render the poet’s features with a delicate precision, contrasting the dark, solid form of his jacket against the wispy curls of his hair. This contrast destabilizes the conventional portrait. It plays with light and shadow to engage with the Romantic era's preoccupation with emotion and introspection, yet subverts it by refusing a clarity of emotional expression. The lithographic technique allows for gradations of tone which lend a soft focus to the image. This softness, however, doesn't detract from the subject’s sharp gaze. Ultimately, it is the tension between the precision and the ethereal quality of the medium that encapsulates the sitter's complex persona. The artwork is not merely a representation, but an interpretation of character through form.