Portret van een man met een bril en snor 1890 - 1946

Editor: This is a drawing titled "Portret van een man met een bril en snor," or "Portrait of a Man with Glasses and a Mustache," by Cornelis Vreedenburgh, made sometime between 1890 and 1946. It's just ink on paper, so the image itself is delicate, light. It feels like a quick study. What strikes you about this work? Curator: What I notice first is the man's profile and how it evokes a particular cultural memory. The mustache and glasses, rendered with such economy of line, suggest a certain type of intellectual, perhaps even a scholar. What feelings arise when you consider those iconic facial markers of identity, class and aspiration? Editor: He definitely looks like someone from another era! I guess, combined with the sketch-like quality, it feels like a glimpse into the past. The lines are so minimal but manage to convey quite a bit. Do you see a connection between this directness and how the portrait functions as a kind of symbol? Curator: Precisely! The reduction of form pushes the symbolic to the forefront. Think about the evolution of eyeglasses. They began as symbols of learning and access to knowledge, and became democratized as symbols of needing assistance or the march of time. Here, what narrative connections can you forge with how glasses have been used historically in art, to signal wisdom but maybe even a little vanity? Editor: That's interesting! I hadn’t considered the layers within something as simple as glasses. Seeing how symbols evolve over time is fascinating, particularly in a portrait like this. Curator: Indeed, this unassuming sketch holds within it echoes of cultural values and transformations, allowing us to connect to a shared past in unexpected ways. A potent demonstration of how a few lines can unlock whole worlds.