Portret van Corry Mak van Waay-Zulver 1934 - 1935

This small black and white photograph shows a woman in a dark sweater and patterned scarf, likely taken sometime in the mid-20th century. What strikes me most is the way the light falls across her face, creating soft shadows that define her features and highlight the gentle curve of her cheek. You can see the photographic process and material itself, with its smooth surface and subtle gradations of tone, which reminds us of the inherent limitations and particularities of photographic representation. It is a process of building form through light and shadow, layer after layer, much like the way a painter constructs an image with brushstrokes. The photograph is small and intimate, inviting a close and personal connection. It could be a reference to the way that artists like Gerhard Richter have used photography as a starting point for paintings, transforming and reinterpreting the original image through the act of painting. Ultimately, this photograph leaves us with a sense of mystery and invites us to fill in the gaps with our own imagination.