Portret van een vrouw, zittend op een stoel in een psychiatrische inrichting 1848 - 1927

August Allebé made this pencil drawing of a woman in a psychiatric institution. The immediacy of the pencil on paper creates a palpable sense of intimacy, a directness that invites us to consider the woman’s state of mind. The artist’s rapid strokes capture her posture and clothing, while the bare minimum of background information places the figure within a sparse setting. But it is the conscious act of sketching itself that is telling. The artist has chosen to quickly capture the essence of the moment with minimal intervention. This contrasts with the labor often associated with more formal portraiture and the ‘slow looking’ afforded by other mediums. It is a conscious act of framing, but also of refraining, allowing the subject’s presence to resonate with an almost haunting vulnerability. This work invites us to consider the social implications of representation itself. The medium and technique are critical to understanding the artwork’s emotional depth and the artist’s relationship to his subject.