Vrouwenkop, in profiel naar links 1892 - 1913

This is Bramine Hubrecht's pencil drawing, “Vrouwenkop, in profiel naar links.” Hubrecht understood that artmaking is a process and that a good drawing is not about getting everything right first time, but about searching for the right lines. Look closely at the marks on the paper and you'll see the ghost of previous lines where she was trying to find the form. Notice how the marks around the eye are darker and more concentrated than elsewhere. This area is where she focused her attention, suggesting the gaze is the most important thing to capture. Yet this contrasts with the hair, where the artist’s marks are quick and loose. For me, the contrast between these two areas is what makes the piece interesting. You can see something similar in the work of Käthe Kollwitz, an artist who was also interested in capturing something of the inner life of the women she drew.