Buste van Venus, tweemaal 1764 - 1806

This is Louis Charles Ruotte's "Buste van Venus, tweemaal," a drawing held at the Rijksmuseum. Two studies of the same sculpture fill the composition, one rendered with stark contrasts of light and shadow, and the other with delicate, barely-there lines. The structure of the face, with its classical, idealized proportions, is meticulously observed. Ruotte presents the same form twice, inviting us to consider how shifts in representation can alter our perception. The contrast between the two faces destabilizes the notion of a singular, fixed Venus. The study on the left appears more substantive and three-dimensional. The other uses the bare minimum of marks needed to represent a face, almost like a ghost. Ultimately, this drawing emphasizes the power of line and shading not merely to replicate but to interpret and reimagine classical ideals, revealing that even the most revered forms are subject to the artist's gaze.