Portret van een vrouw met een hoed 1890 - 1946

This is a portrait of a woman with a hat made by Cornelis Vreedenburgh. It's drawn with what looks like pen and ink or maybe pencil, quick and loose. I can imagine the artist making this piece. It feels as though they’ve built up the face and hat with lots of little marks and scribbles, as if to suggest the weight and presence of this figure. I think of all the choices the artist made – where to put the hat, how to shape the face. You can feel them thinking and working with each stroke, not trying to be perfect but really present. The artist is in conversation with other artists like Manet and Degas. They were always exploring the way we see and challenging what a portrait could be. The hat, for example, is not just a hat, it’s a way of playing with form and shadow. And just like them, Vreedenburgh shows how making art is an ongoing conversation across time, with each artist building on what came before.