Gezicht van een jonge vrouw met bril 1892 - 1928

Johannes Löhr made this etching, ‘Face of a Young Woman with Glasses,’ sometime between the late 19th and early 20th century. Can you feel the scratches? I can. Imagine Löhr bent over a plate, pressing the tool into the surface to make each tiny mark. Look at the lines around the collar of the sweater, so light and quick. You can feel Löhr trying to capture the texture of the knit. The face is more modeled, more careful, and more considered. I wonder what he was thinking, etching the glasses—those little frames around the window to the soul! The interesting thing about portraiture is how an artist captures not just the likeness, but the essence of a person. What did Löhr see in this young woman? What did he want us to see? Maybe he just wanted to practice making an etching. Whatever it was, I'm glad he did. Aren’t you?