Portret van een meisje 1870 - 1910

This small portrait of a girl was made with photography. Notice the girl's belt. It cinches her waist, a visual assertion of control and containment. This motif echoes across centuries. We find it in ancient Minoan art, where wasp-waisted figures flaunt their power over nature. It reappears in Renaissance paintings, emphasizing feminine virtue and domestic order. Each time, the belt speaks of societal pressures and ideals projected onto the female form. Why does this constriction persist? Perhaps it reflects a deeper, collective anxiety about female agency. The belt, then, becomes a symbol of our subconscious attempts to define and confine women. Yet, despite these attempts, the image also carries a sense of quiet defiance in the subject's eyes. This tension captures the complex interplay between cultural norms and individual expression. The belt’s form evolves, but the psychological weight remains.