Francois Dachery 

This pastel portrait of Francois Dachery was created by Maurice Quentin de La Tour, a master of capturing the essence of his sitters during the Enlightenment. Note Dachery’s gaze, direct and unflinching, reminiscent of the Roman tradition of portraiture intended to convey virtue and status. Consider the psychological weight of the gaze in art across epochs. In ancient Egyptian art, the unblinking eyes on sarcophagi were believed to ensure the deceased could see and be seen in the afterlife. Similarly, the eyes in Byzantine icons served as a direct channel to the divine, a visual prayer. Dachery's eyes here lack the overt symbolism of these examples, yet they possess a similar intensity, engaging viewers on a subconscious level, prompting contemplation and a quest for understanding. The direct gaze, rooted in cultural memory, has resurfaced, evolved, and taken on new meanings in diverse historical contexts, a testament to the cyclical progression of symbols.