Hoofdstudie van een jonge vrouw met hoed 1756 - 1817

This is Louis Bernard Coclers' diminutive etching, "Head Study of a Young Woman with Hat." Its size enhances the immediacy of the subject, inviting a close, almost intimate inspection. The texture created by the etched lines, particularly in the stark contrast between the hat and the shadowed background, produces a captivating visual rhythm. Note the use of hatching and cross-hatching, techniques employed to build depth and volume within the monochromatic palette. Semiotically, the hat signifies more than mere fashion; it hints at social status and identity. Coclers masterfully uses light and shadow to not only define form but also to express mood. How does the stark contrast between light and shadow play with our perception? It is through these formal elements that the artwork speaks.