Portret van een vrouw met een stola 1836 - 1912

Curator: At first glance, this pencil drawing feels both formal and intimate, doesn't it? Editor: It does! There’s something quietly compelling about it. It makes me wonder what she's thinking… is it calm or troubled? The contrast between the sharp detail in the face and the sketchiness of the clothing is striking. Curator: Indeed. What we have here is Isaac Weissenbruch's "Portret van een vrouw met een stola," dating roughly between 1836 and 1912. The medium, as you noted, is pencil on paper. It resides here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Those wisps of hair that look so delicate contrast with the darkness of her dress... which almost consumes her. It’s as though Weissenbruch is interested in playing with textures of light and shadow to trap and release the sitter. Curator: That is certainly true; look at the almost feverish hatching in the darkest tones against the open, flat plane that serves as a background. Weissenbruch manages a remarkable degree of verisimilitude with what appears to be a relatively simple collection of graphic marks. But it is more than simple realism, wouldn't you say? Editor: Absolutely. The drawing style flirts with realism, but there's a certain aloofness, almost… flatness. It reminds me of early photographic portraits, where sitters were trying so hard to appear dignified, the intensity almost masked reality. Is she burdened by the social demands of her time, the expectations for a woman of her presumed standing? Curator: Or maybe it is just a study, a means of capturing her likeness efficiently and practically. You have this interesting tension between academic-art principles and the looser handling of a drawing that can feel really modern. The interplay fascinates me. Editor: Agreed. It offers a complex portrait within seemingly limited means. We witness the past scrutinizing us, but in such an honest way. It makes this piece unforgettable. Curator: Right. It holds space, prompting reflections on ourselves as we consider its many surfaces and subtleties.