Study Of An Old Man, Head And Shoulders 

Jean-Baptiste Greuze captured this head and shoulders study of an old man, using oil paint, at an unknown date. Greuze lived through the height of the Enlightenment in France, but also the dawn of the French Revolution, and his art sits at the nexus of reason and the rising tide of sentimentality. In this study, the man's gaze is directed downwards, perhaps introspectively, inviting us to consider the weight of his years and experiences. The ruddy complexion and wrinkled skin speak to a life lived, one that carries both the marks of time and the stories of survival. Greuze challenges the traditional idealization of the human form and the focus on youth and beauty which dominated earlier portraiture. Greuze’s choice to depict such a subject, with such unvarnished honesty, echoes the revolutionary fervor stirring at the time – it is a call for empathy, a recognition of the intrinsic worth of every individual, regardless of age or social status.