Portret van Simon Fokke met in zijn hand de prent van de plundering van het huis van Gerrit Hagedooren, 1751 1751 - 1792

John Greenwood created this portrait of Simon Fokke in 1751 using mezzotint, a printmaking technique allowing for rich tonal variations. The composition is immediately striking. The subject, Fokke, is centrally positioned, drawing our eye to his confident, almost confrontational gaze. Note the interplay of light and shadow that models his face and clothing, creating a sense of depth and volume. Fokke holds a print referencing the plundering of Gerrit Hagedooren’s house, introducing a narrative element that complicates the portrait’s apparent simplicity. This inclusion challenges the conventional function of portraiture, which typically aims to celebrate the subject’s status or character. Instead, Greenwood integrates a specific historical moment, thus positioning Fokke within a broader socio-political context. The formal arrangement, the balance of dark and light, and the inclusion of the print, all function as signs that invite us to decode the complex relationship between individual identity, historical events, and representational strategies.