From "Bizzarie di varie Figure" 1624

Giovanni Battista Bracelli created this etching from "Bizzarie di varie Figure" using line and form to challenge our perceptions. At first glance, you may notice the geometric shapes that construct humanoid figures. Bracelli’s work dismantles the conventional representation of the human form. By reducing figures to an assemblage of cubes, trapezoids, and cylinders, he offers a structuralist approach to portraiture. The figures are deconstructed into component shapes, calling into question the integrity and fixed essence of identity. Bracelli uses line to create these bizarre figures, he forces us to confront the artificiality inherent in representation itself, showing that what we perceive as "real" is often a construction of signs and symbols. It encourages a broader reflection on how we construct meaning and understand the world.