Jens Juels tegnede selvportræt 1801

Curator: Standing before us is J.F. Clemens' rendition of "Jens Juels tegnede selvportræt" from 1801. It's a striking self-portrait rendered with pencil and print. What springs to mind when you observe this image? Editor: Calm. Serene. He looks… untroubled, almost detached, gazing out like a visitor from another realm. Is it just me, or does his pallor add to this ethereal vibe? Curator: Indeed. It's interesting you say that because Neoclassicism was quite prevalent in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and there's an emphasis here on rationality and clarity that moves away from emotion or passion. Jens Juel, a prominent figure himself, capturing himself through J.F. Clemens' hand provides a look at the self within the confines of artistic and social expectation. Editor: It's funny though, isn’t it? The guy who captured everyone else, now captured, immortalised in someone else's version of him. You almost wonder how he really saw himself; whether this neat, ordered image is truly how Jens Juel, the artist, perceived his inner self or simply wanted to present himself to the world. Is it genuine, or merely staged for public consumption, do you think? Curator: Exactly! The politics of imagery play out even in self-representation. How much is control, and how much vulnerability? These commissioned portraits during the Neoclassical movement were a kind of branding. They communicated stature, morality, seriousness of intent and achievement. Think about where this portrait was displayed and who was meant to view it! The context always colours the image, literally and figuratively. Editor: And even though he has given off a controlled vibe, there’s just the slightest hint of melancholy about the mouth perhaps? That or I am projecting my twenty-first century sensibilities onto the face of the eighteenth! Curator: Maybe both, right? That’s what makes art…well art! Editor: That hint of unknowability, of feeling a presence across the centuries. Curator: Absolutely! Every time, a fresh encounter. Editor: Every time indeed!