Portret van Coba Stolk-Schmidt 1906 - 1945

Reijer Stolk made this portrait of Coba Stolk-Schmidt with a dark graphic medium, probably charcoal or conte crayon. It’s all smudgy and atmospheric. I wonder if Reijer knew Coba really well? I ask because the strokes feel so intimate, like he was trying to capture not just her likeness but her essence. See how the lines around her face are soft and blurred, but the lines defining her collar are bolder, more assertive? It's like he's using the pressure of the crayon to show us what he feels about her. The side of her face is very present. Making a portrait is an interesting thing; it’s like you try to capture something that’s constantly moving and changing. Perhaps Reijer was trying to show the layers of Coba’s personality, not just what she looked like on the surface. The painting feels unfinished in some ways, like a conversation that’s still ongoing. And that's often how it is between artists – a continual exchange of ideas across time.