Meisjeskopje 1871 - 1906

Editor: So, here we have "Meisjeskopje," or "Girl's Head," by Pieter de Josselin de Jong, created sometime between 1871 and 1906. It's a drawing, looks like charcoal and pencil on paper. It has a really subdued, melancholic mood to me, perhaps because of the girl's downward gaze and the loose, sketchy lines. What do you make of it? Curator: Oh, I find it utterly captivating! There’s something so intimate and vulnerable about it, isn't there? That soft, smudgy charcoal – it feels almost like a memory fading at the edges. For me, it evokes a certain stillness and introspection. Do you see how the light falls just so, emphasizing the curve of her cheek, her closed mouth, as if she is thinking? Editor: I do, now that you mention it. The light really does focus your attention. Is that realism at play, or something else? Curator: That's a brilliant question! I’d say it leans into realism with its intent, but realism of the *feeling* of the girl, if that makes sense. Less interested in every strand of hair being perfect, more interested in her downcast gaze. It whispers a story rather than shouts one. Imagine being the artist, capturing a fleeting emotion on a young face – pure magic. The piece gives such impression that he managed to transmit this magic into a drawing! Editor: So it’s more than just a simple portrait? Curator: Exactly. It's an emotional landscape drawn with charcoal. Consider how different the effect is versus if this was an official government commission, perhaps painted with oils… this drawing makes us complicit. Editor: Wow, I never thought of it that way! That's a totally new way to appreciate the drawing, it makes you consider yourself as almost an invisible companion into that inner world of feeling the author was portraying! Curator: It is so fascinating when you allow yourself just be moved by art, to learn beyond any formal interpretation! This drawing is also such reminder!