Portret van Lizzy Ansingh, in Breitners atelier aan de Lauriergracht, Amsterdam 1894 - 1895

Editor: So here we have a photograph, "Portret van Lizzy Ansingh, in Breitners atelier aan de Lauriergracht, Amsterdam", taken by George Hendrik Breitner between 1894 and 1895. It's currently held at the Rijksmuseum. I am immediately drawn to the hazy, almost dreamlike quality of the image, probably because of the photographic technique he employed. What stands out to you the most in this portrait, and how do you see it fitting into Breitner's broader body of work? Curator: Oh, darling, it whispers, doesn’t it? Like a memory half-forgotten. Breitner, that naughty Impressionist with a camera, caught Lizzy not just as a face, but a fleeting emotion, veiled by that beautiful pictorialist softness. Forget sharp lines! This is about mood, about feeling. You almost sense the quiet of his Lauriergracht studio, don’t you? Compared to his gritty street scenes, it’s intimate, introspective, a breath held in time. But do you see how even here, there's a candidness, a resistance to idealization? Editor: Yes, I can see how it contrasts his street photography! So, would you say this softer approach reveals a different side of Breitner? Curator: Absolutely. It's as if he traded his paintbrush for a sigh. He still chases light, but now, it illuminates something far more delicate: a woman's inner world, perhaps a reflection of his own. The light, muted and melancholic, adds to this feeling. How do you think this photo challenged traditional portraiture of the time? Editor: Well, I think, rather than presenting a powerful or idealised figure like we saw so often in painting at the time, he has captured something altogether more understated and intimate. It really does have an emotional quality. Curator: Precisely! This is more than just a photograph. It's a shared moment, a stolen glance, transformed into art. Wonderful. Editor: I think I understand his other works a bit better too, by understanding the artist behind the gritty urban scenes. Thank you.