Portret van Ch. Opzoomer 1842 - 1887

Curator: Here we have a pencil and graphite drawing from sometime between 1842 and 1887, a portrait of Ch. Opzoomer by Johann Peter Berghaus. What strikes you first? Editor: There's a kind of hesitant stillness, wouldn't you say? The sitter looks a bit... cornered. Almost like he wasn’t expecting us to barge in. Curator: Interesting. The realism is quite stark for its time. Berghaus captures Opzoomer with very little adornment, relying heavily on shading and light pencil work. Editor: Yes, there's a definite tension between the sharp detail of the face and the almost dreamlike vagueness of the background. Is it just me, or does the guy look a little…melancholy? Curator: Perhaps it's the somberness typical of formal portraiture of that era, or maybe a deliberate artistic choice? Note the composition, too—Opzoomer is seated, yet his pose is somewhat stiff, contained within the frame. Editor: The formal constraints seem at odds with the medium. Pencil sketch implies something immediate, off-the-cuff. Is it a finished work or something preparatory? Curator: The Rijksmuseum classifies it as a completed portrait. There’s something quite captivating in its seeming simplicity. It is really more of an exploration of form and light. It captures not just the likeness of Opzoomer but, arguably, a mood, a certain interiority. Editor: Well, whether intentional or not, Berghaus succeeded in imbuing the portrait with a real sense of humanity, awkward as it may be. He manages to suggest not just a likeness, but something of the person underneath, even with such subtle means. Curator: It serves as a subtle reminder that even in the most composed portraits, there's often a story, a vulnerability, waiting to be uncovered. Editor: And sometimes, it’s those quieter voices that whisper the loudest. Thanks, Berghaus, for not letting this moment pass unrecorded.