Portret van een onbekende vrouw Possibly 1888 - 1914

Jules Louis Faassen made this small portrait of an unknown woman, and the sepia tones throughout give it such a sense of gentle quietness. The limited palette isn't a restriction, but allows the artist to focus on the material aspects. Look at the area around her collar. It’s easy to imagine Jules painstakingly placing each dot of paint, giving the impression of intricate beadwork, capturing a sense of texture with such fine detail. It is translucent, not quite concealing the surface below, but it feels like a veil, softening the edges. The woman’s gaze is directed out of frame. The image holds a particular kind of presence that feels very contemporary to me. I'm reminded of the subtle portraits by someone like Alice Neel, who sought to capture the inner lives of her sitters through a similar, delicate approach. It is the embrace of ambiguity that gives the image its strength.