Details I would ask my artist to include in my portrait to communicate the glorious wealth and bounty of mine noble estate
- XXL Costco pack of toilet paper, still sealed to demonstrate that the need was not desperate
- Dresser in the background with top two drawers both just a little open to show that overflowing piles of clean socks and underwear prevent it from closing all the way
- An open container of raspberries, the fastest-moulding of the expensive luxury fruits, showing that I purchased fresh produce recently and at full price for no special occasion
- The walls are painted a vibrant colour and covered in hanging art, showing that I have the legal freedom to modify my own living space and may even own property
*art historian from the future* “now this piece for example was commissioned by a modestly wealthy merchant from the early turn of the 21st century and is an excellent example of the age in which the subject lived.
Now if you’ll see here (camera cuts to closeup of left eye) you’ll notice a faint blemish just across the brow. Now, this may look like a small scar or thinning of some kind, but popular media from this period actually tells us that there was a sudden brief revival in the fashion of renommierschmiss at the time of its commission.
That combined with this rich two-tone glow, historically referred to as “bisexual lighting”, tells us that they were very likely signalling to a queer identity, which at he time was still rather scandalous- though as it wasn’t widely-known for its symbolism at the time, it is possible that this identity was secretive, intended only for the eyes of other queer folk, or those already in-the-know.”
amhrancas 