Portret van een onbekende vrouw in bontmantel, mogelijk een actrice 1925 - 1937

This portrait of an unknown woman in a fur coat, possibly an actress, was made by Studio Harlip. The monochromatic palette creates an emotional register that feels distant and alluring, and it makes me wonder about the image and the kind of mark-making involved in photography. Look at the soft gradations of tone in her face, the way it moves from light to dark, the subtle curves of her cheekbone. The artist manages to create a feeling of smoothness and texture at the same time. The blurred background of the fur coat makes me think about the way photographic images and portraits deal with time. There’s a softness and delicacy here, a sense of fleetingness. It's almost like she's emerging from the shadows, ready to step into the spotlight. Like a painting by Gerhard Richter, the photograph uses techniques of blurring to address how we receive images over time.