Portrait of a Man 1640

Curator: Looking at this work, I feel an immediate, almost uncomfortable intimacy. There’s something almost voyeuristic about staring this intently at someone from so long ago. What do you make of it? Editor: You know, it’s funny you say voyeuristic. To me, he’s got a certain casualness, doesn’t he? Like we just walked in on him while he was relaxing. But I find it sort of…dreamy, almost melancholic, not at all awkward. Curator: I see what you mean. This is "Portrait of a Man" by Gerrit Dou, painted around 1640. Dou was one of the most celebrated of the Leiden fijnschilders – the “fine painters." The National Gallery in London holds this example of his work, made with oil paint on an oval wooden panel. These fijnschilders prized their control of naturalism in painting. Editor: And controlled it is! It’s almost photographic, isn’t it? And it’s the little things. Look at the way the light catches in the corner of his eye, and all those varying tones in his complexion. Did that man own any moisturiser back then? I see every pore! But what about that pipe? What kind of statement is he trying to make? Curator: The pipe does add a certain air of relaxed sophistication. But let's not read into this pose too much; pipes at the time, much like expensive pocket watches or elaborate rings, served as visible markers of wealth and leisure among Dutch citizens. Editor: You think so? To me, he almost looks a little shy, peeking at us with that subtle side-eye under that dashing black beret. All those delicate, warm brushstrokes practically caress him! And he meets us, calmly but assuredly, despite our intrusion… or perhaps our projected intrusion! Curator: Perhaps we’re both projecting onto this "Portrait of a Man". It reflects not only a high degree of skill, and insight into Dutch society at the time, but an ambiguity which invites endless speculation about this man’s place within it, too. Editor: Beautifully said. He’s become an old friend I didn’t know I had!