Portret van mevrouw M. Bruyel-De Favauge 1874 - 1925

Jan Veth rendered this portrait of M. Bruyel-De Favauge in muted tones of graphite on paper. These modest materials lend themselves well to the artist’s intent: to capture the sitter in quiet contemplation. Consider how the very act of drawing contributes to this effect. Graphite, with its dry, powdery quality, encourages a slow, deliberate approach. It's a medium of building up tone gradually, seen here in the soft, almost hazy rendering of the background, and the subtle gradations of light and shadow on the sitter’s face. There are no quick, gestural marks here; instead, we sense the artist’s patient accumulation of detail. This echoes the values of the Dutch bourgeois society from which Veth emerged, which prioritized hard work, thrift, and careful attention to detail. In a way, the drawing itself embodies these values, reflecting a commitment to craftsmanship and a restrained aesthetic. By focusing on the intimacy of the drawing process, we understand more deeply the values that both artist and sitter would have held dear.