Portret van een onbekende vrouw 1890 - 1918

Jan Siewers made this small, sepia-toned photograph of an unknown woman sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. The tones are muted, creating a dream-like effect, as if the woman is fading into the past. And I think that art-making is very much like that, a way of capturing something fleeting and making it last. The surface of the print feels smooth and slightly worn, like an old photograph you might find in your grandmother's attic. It's interesting how the photographer has arranged the scene; the woman is posed next to an ornate chair, her hand resting gently on the back. Look at that chair, with its fancy carving, juxtaposed against the plainness of the woman's dress. Maybe it's a comment on the superficiality of appearances or the contrast between inner substance and outward show. This photograph reminds me of the work of artists like Gerhard Richter, who also explored the themes of memory and loss through his blurred, out-of-focus paintings. Art is always in conversation with itself.