Portret van een onbekende blinde man, mogelijk Homerus 1799 - 1874

Hendrik Jozef Franciscus van der Poorten made this drawing, possibly of Homer, using pen in the Netherlands. This image raises interesting questions about the role of art in constructing historical memory. Although it's titled as a portrait of Homer, the famous blind poet, we must consider the social conditions that led van der Poorten to depict him in this way. The artist, working in the 19th century, would have been influenced by the prevailing artistic conventions and social attitudes of his time. Could the image be interpreted as a comment on the social status of the blind, or the role of the artist as a visionary? To understand this work better, we might consult historical texts about the perception of disability, and the institutional history of museums that chose to display such images. Ultimately, the meaning of this portrait lies in its complex relationship to both its historical context and its reception by viewers like us.