A 1530's Instagram Feed

Instagram and other very popular social networking platforms allow us to get in contact to other people, to make friends perhaps, to learn about other views and cultures. This is an incredible opportunity, is it not? Where would we be if they had not been invented since they are a huge part of our lives in the 21st century?
 
However, there are some other points we should have a closer look at when it comes to these public tribunes. Points such as self- presentation and self- esteem, egocentrism and narcissistic characteristics play a role.
 
Let us go back in time for a moment. Did people in the past have those tools too? Of course, they did. They had paintings and sketches, showing their  outside world who they were, or who they wanted to be in the eyes of themselves and others.

I would like to show you an example.

How many likes would you give the young man you can see in the portrait below? 

Agnolo Bronzino
Portrait of a Young Man with a Book
​c.1530

A lot? Or none? And, does it make a difference whether we know the person or not?

We see a young man, painted by the Italian artist Agnolo Bronzino, with an extremely beautiful face. He is striking a pose that gives him the air of being in full control of his world. More so, whilst looking down on us, he gives the impression of being in full control of us, the viewers. But is he really? Please keep that question in mind for a while, I‘ll come back to it later.

The person we see is meticulously dressed in a dark riding habit and a hat. Look at the pleated collar and shining fabric of his jacket and the fashionably puffed details all over it. He must have spent some time to plan his outfit and dress for his sitting to attain such highly- sophisticated elegance. This is not a bad thing. Taking care of oneself is undoubtably great, as long as it does not serve the purpose of breaking the record for the most likes oft the day. On his little finger he is wearing a small ring with a stone, the gold is matching the decorative ornaments in his belt and hat. The little finger can stand for communication, assertiveness, but also for illusion. And illusion is something we perhaps see here. Bronzino did a marvellous job by making us think about it.

The hero in our painting holds a book in his right hand. Is he a well-educated boy, then? It actually could be book of poetry, or a scientific essay maybe, it could be everything in fact. Hence, it also could be a notebook with nothing in it, right? A book with empty pages. We will never know for certain.

Have a look with me at the man’s position in the room. It is perfect, is it not? When we look at the painting our eyes are automatically drawn to his face, to how the light fells on it and brightens his features, to the prominent nose, to beautiful lips, to his cute chin. We do, however, not notice his eyes in the first place. I think this is very interesting. The eyes are always a look into the soul, open and telling to others. I cannot see his soul in his eyes. Despite being the protagonist in his image, he is, sadly, not so much more than a decorative arrangement of luxury. 

Let us leave the young man for a minute and take a look at the room. Although we can only see a cropped version of it, the background and interior are painted in a manner to highlight the main figure. There is the edge of a table, richly decorated with impressive carvings, and in a colour that seems to directly correspond with the colour in his cheeks and the porcelain skin.

Why is that? I think Bronzino, who was famous for his witty and very intelligent views, also known for talking about them with great pleasure for that matter, has established the connection between the gargoyle and the mask- like face of the young man. We see a very cool performance here, but the real boy is definitely not on display. We see an artistic installation of someone he is not. There is another gargoyle attached to the arm of the chair,  and please have a careful look at the boy’s legs. Bronzino painted a grotesque face with a pair of eyes and a nose in the folds of his breeches. All of this shows that there is clearly something or someone else hidden underneath the stylish person we are presented with.

There is more to dicover. The technical skill of Bronzino and his elusively transcendent implementation of the means at his disposal in the 16th century stand in direct proportion to the somewhat polished and sleek appearance of the man in the painting. It is hard to make out how the piece was actually painted. There is rarely a brushstroke to see; there is no surface texture to detect. It is truly not often that we can see this in an artwork- a coalescence between a topic depicted and its masterly painting style and composition. How did he do it so right that easily?

I would like to come back to the question I posed earlier. I asked whether the young man is in control of his viewers. Is he? Or can you imagine that behind that door you can see in his back, a door that is similarly closed off like the person in the painting, will probably wait normality and an ordinary but hopefully fulfilling and beautiful life?

​Can you look behind the facade? I hope you can. 


References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_a_Young_Man_with_a_Book_(Bronzino)