Portret van een jong meisje 1873 - 1932

Editor: We're looking at "Portret van een jong meisje," or "Portrait of a Young Girl," a pencil drawing housed here at the Rijksmuseum, created sometime between 1873 and 1932 by Wilhelmus Johannes Steenhoff. The girl's direct gaze is compelling, and the sketch feels unfinished, almost raw. What are your thoughts? Curator: Notice how Steenhoff prioritizes the face. The background dissolves into scribbled texture, directing all attention to her expression. The varying pressure of the pencil creates depth and volume, especially around the eyes and cheekbones. What do you observe about the relationship between light and shadow? Editor: I see that the shadows define the planes of her face, giving it dimension, while the collar and the area around the bottom of her face are less defined. Does that imply a hierarchy of importance, or perhaps suggest that the face was most studied and further along than the other elements? Curator: Precisely. Consider also the materiality. The visible pencil strokes emphasize the process of creation, inviting us to appreciate the artist's hand and their precise gestures. The realism in this portrait feels grounded in the structural form of the piece and gives the girl life beyond just being pigment on a surface. Editor: That makes me think of how modern art often seems to remove the hand of the artist. With this piece, the drawing itself feels like a vital part of its story. Curator: Exactly! We can then explore how line and form convey emotion and experience, while thinking critically about art's structure. Steenhoff understood how materiality gives rise to an artwork’s communicative power. Editor: This was insightful. I really learned to consider how materiality adds another layer to how we read and experience the piece.