Portræt af Antoinette Christiane Købke 1843

Christen Købke made this intimate portrait of Antoinette Christiane Købke using graphite. The drawing's composition focuses tightly on the sitter, capturing her likeness with a direct and unassuming gaze. Købke's formal approach relies on closely spaced, parallel lines to model form and texture. Notice how the repetitive hatching creates subtle tonal variations, giving shape to Antoinette's face and clothing. This technique, reminiscent of printmaking, flattens the image, emphasizing surface patterns over deep space. The parallel lines create a structural rigidity, yet the softness of the graphite lends an atmospheric quality, typical of the Danish Golden Age. Consider how the carefully rendered details of her lace collar contrast with the simpler treatment of the background. It is through the detailed use of line that the character of the sitter is brought to life. The drawing is not simply a representation but an aesthetic experience shaped by the materiality and form of the work itself.