Portret van George Nicolas Landré 1789 - 1822

This is Jan Willem Caspari’s portrait of George Nicolas Landré. The diminutive engraving presents a curious dichotomy of form. The subject emerges, seemingly unmoored, from the stark white of the paper. Caspari’s masterful use of hatching and stippling brings Landré to life, imbuing his visage with a palpable sense of presence. Note how Landré’s coat is rendered with tight, controlled lines that provide a sense of tactile reality. This contrasts strikingly with his hair, a riot of curvilinear exuberance that frames his face. The almost scientific precision applied to his clothing and features grounds the subject in a tangible reality. The composition is structured to draw your eye to the face. The formal qualities of the artwork, particularly its balance between meticulous detail and ethereal formlessness, invite us to consider how identity is constructed and perceived.