Portret van een zittende vrouw 1905

Editor: So, this is "Portret van een zittende vrouw," or "Portrait of a Seated Woman," by Johan Christiaan Reesinck, from 1905. It’s a photograph that has the appearance of charcoal drawing, and its realist qualities are striking. What can you tell me about this work? Curator: Considering this work from a materialist perspective, I’m immediately drawn to the process of creating a photographic image with the aesthetics of charcoal. This challenges the hierarchy often placed between photography and traditional drawing. What material elements do you notice that might indicate social class, status, or production method? Editor: Well, the woman's attire—the tailored jacket, the high collar—suggests a certain level of affluence. But the monochromatic palette and the soft focus make it less about ostentatious display and more about a certain, almost romantic mood. Curator: Exactly. Think about the labor involved in producing this photograph in 1905 versus today. There's a slower, more deliberate engagement with materials and light. It raises questions about the artist's intention to replicate charcoal. Do you see it as a democratization of portraiture, or perhaps something else? Editor: I think it’s aiming at bringing photographic portraiture into the realm of “high art”, where traditional drawing or painting were regarded more valuable. It suggests to me that even through technology, portraiture and craftsmanship were considered closely linked. Curator: Precisely. This merging of process and class boundaries offers a fascinating glimpse into the cultural value placed on labor and artistic skill at the time. This gives me a renewed perspective of the social and artistic ambitions of Pictorialist artists, in their attempts to blur the boundary between photography and painting!