Portret van Sophie van Württemberg 1877 - 1949

This print of Sophia van Württemberg, made by an anonymous artist, feels like a kind of drawing, a way of seeing that’s translated through these delicate marks. It’s the kind of piece that reminds me that artmaking is really a process of translation, of trying to capture something elusive. Look at the way the lines build up to create the form of her face, almost like a topographic map. You can see how the artist uses hatching and cross-hatching to give a sense of volume and light. The way the dark, dense lines around her dress contrast with the lighter, airier marks that define her face – it’s like a dance of light and shadow. The curls of her hair remind me of drawings by Man Ray, these very simple marks that somehow evoke a sense of volume and texture. Prints like this always remind me that art is an ongoing conversation, a back-and-forth between artists across time. It’s not about having all the answers, but about embracing the questions.