Woman with hat 

Thérèse Schwartze, a Dutch portrait painter, sketched “Woman with Hat” using what looks to be charcoal on paper. Schwartze lived in a time of shifting roles for women in the art world. Consider the gaze of the woman here. There's a directness, an engagement, but softened by the shadow cast by her large hat. This era saw women artists navigating between traditional expectations and new freedoms. Schwartze, who came from a family of artists, achieved considerable recognition. It makes you wonder how she navigated the complex social expectations of women at that time, and if this portrait captures a negotiation between visibility and privacy. Reflect on how the simple medium, charcoal, brings an immediacy to the image. It invites us to consider the fleeting moments of identity and representation. It's a delicate dance between revelation and concealment.