Portret van een oude dame 1907

This is Heinrich Krabbé’s ‘Portrait of an Old Lady,’ made with watercolor and crayon. The color palette is very gentle. The artist seems to be feeling their way into the form of the face. The watercolor and crayon flow into each other, as the artist builds up the image in layers, and it's clear that making art is a process of discovery for them. Texture comes into play when you look at the way the light hits the paper and the way that the subtle variations in the surface of the watercolor create an emotional atmosphere. Look at the marks around her left eye; you can see how Krabbé adds a kind of nervous energy to the portrait through the use of these scribbly marks. The overall effect is kind of like looking at a portrait by Paula Modersohn-Becker. Like her, Krabbé offers us a glimpse into the emotional and psychological depths of his subject, while leaving us with more questions than answers. Which is, in my opinion, what good art does.