Portret van een onbekend meisje 1878 - 1931

This delicate portrait of an unknown girl was made by Heinrich Krabbé, though the exact date is a mystery. It feels like a memory, doesn't it? As if it’s been dusted with time. I imagine Krabbé, squinting at the girl, trying to capture her fleeting expression, and the way light catches her hair. You can almost feel him mixing the pigments, trying to get the right shade for her eyes, that pale blue that’s so hard to pin down. Look how thin the paint is, almost translucent in places, like a watercolor. It reminds me of Whistler’s portraits, that same sense of quiet observation. See the way the bow in her hair is just a smudge of dark color? It's like he was trying to capture a feeling more than a likeness. Isn’t that what painting's all about? A conversation between the artist, the subject, and the viewer.