Portret van Ignatius Josephus Van Regemorter 1822

This is Guillaume Philidor Van den Burggraaff’s portrait of Ignatius Josephus Van Regemorter, made with lithography. Lithography, a printing technique, involves drawing with a greasy substance on a stone or metal plate, then applying ink which adheres only to the drawn areas. It's a printmaking technique that democratized image production by making multiple impressions of an image at relatively low cost. Look closely, and you can see that the material qualities of the stone influence the image; the smooth surface allows for incredibly fine lines, capturing subtle details in the sitter’s face and clothing. The print doesn't have the same texture as an oil painting. Instead, it’s about the relationship between the artist, the greasy crayon, and the stone itself. The lithographic process enabled a wider dissemination of portraits like this one, reflecting a shift in the art world towards broader accessibility, and even new forms of commercialization. By understanding the process, we can see how this portrait is not just an image but an artifact of its time, reflecting social changes in art production and consumption.