Portret van een onbekende vrouw before 1905

Joseph Maes made this portrait of an unknown woman sometime between the late 1800s and early 1900s. Look at how he’s created a real softness with his focus. It's like he's playing with our gaze, softening the edges of things. The dark shadows in the background almost seem to caress her face, making her skin glow. This is a real departure from the hyper-realistic portraits that were popular back then. Maes is maybe pulling a Whistler here. It’s not about getting every detail right, but about capturing a mood, a feeling. I love how her eyes draw you in. She seems to be on the verge of saying something. You can almost feel the fabric of her dress and the softness of her hair. It’s as if Maes is inviting us to dream, blurring the lines between reality and imagination. It’s a reminder that art doesn't need to be perfect to be profound.