Portrait of Johan Kieviet, Director of the Rotterdam Chamber of the Dutch East India Company, elected 1664 1695 - 1722

Pieter van der Werff painted this portrait of Johan Kieviet, a director within the Dutch East India Company. We see a man in a dark coat with a soft white collar set against a muted background, all enclosed within an oval frame. The artist uses light to guide our eyes from the bright face, down the white collar, and onto the dark contours of the coat. The painting shows us the underlying formal structures in portraiture. The composition is based on a binary opposition: the dark coat versus the bright face and collar. This contrast illuminates the subject's face, imbuing it with a sense of importance. The oval frame acts as a signifier, signaling the importance of the subject in Dutch society. Van der Werff uses the semiotic system of portraiture not just to represent an individual, but also to embody the values of status and power. This painting reminds us that art is a language, and portraits speak to a discourse about class and authority.