Portret van de actrice Magda Janssens 1925 - 1935

This is an undated portrait of the actress Magda Janssens, artist unknown, held at the Rijksmuseum. It’s not a painting, but the application of graphite or charcoal here feels painterly, smudged and layered to create luminous tonal gradations. Look at the way the darks of her coat melt into the background, and how the whiteness of the paper seems to glow in the highlights on her face. There's a real softness and sensitivity in the rendering, particularly around the eyes, which have a kind of watery depth. The artist has managed to capture not just a likeness, but a sense of presence, of inner life. It reminds me a little of the portraits of Alice Neel, in the way it combines a direct, unsparing gaze with a tender, almost vulnerable quality. Ultimately, it’s a reminder that art is not just about technical skill or representation, but about connection, empathy, and the messy, imperfect process of trying to see and understand each other.