Buste van een onbekende man met lange baard en een snor 1874 - 1909

Josué Dupon created this etching of an unknown bearded man. Although we don't know the sitter's identity, the work prompts a dialogue between art history and contemporary theory. Dupon was active in Belgium during a time of political turmoil. As such, portraiture served as a tool for negotiating cultural identity. The long beard and austere gaze of the sitter could signify wisdom or strength, characteristics often associated with masculinity and authority. But who gets to embody these traits, and what histories are privileged in the process? This piece encourages us to consider the power dynamics inherent in representation. What stories do we tell when we immortalize certain individuals in art, and what stories remain untold? Dupon asks us to think about the values we project onto these figures, and what they reflect back onto ourselves.