Portret van Stéphania Maria Anna Isabella de Block-Loor, staande met pop 1860

Editor: Here we have Eugène François de Block’s “Portrait of Stéphania Maria Anna Isabella de Block-Loor, Standing with Doll," created around 1860. It's a delicate pencil drawing, quite small, and there's something very intimate and pensive about it. What do you see in this piece, beyond the surface of a child and her doll? Curator: Intimacy is precisely the word that springs to my mind. This isn't just a formal portrait; it’s a captured moment, almost stolen in its quietness. The artist, depicting a little girl in 1860, invites us into a silent dialogue between her and her doll. The lines are soft, almost as if drawn from memory. But the interesting thing is, don't you think, how much emotion he has poured into what is just lines? There is also something about childhood here, and I wonder what this meant to the artist at the time... Editor: Yes, it does feel very emotional. Maybe he was thinking about his own daughter or childhood? It feels more than just a study. Curator: Perhaps. What I find truly charming, too, is that imperfect outline; see, the overall feeling of 'snapshot', like we have caught a brief instance in time! Editor: It feels almost contemporary because it looks so fresh and informal. It's like peeking into a private moment, not like posing for a formal photograph at all. I see now what you mean about intimacy and it seeming like it was a stolen moment... Curator: Precisely. The beauty, then, is the candour, is the fact we've caught it unawares; what you feel here goes beyond graphite on paper; it whispers stories and sentiments across the ages... Editor: That’s beautifully put. It's made me see the artwork in a whole new light! Thanks for sharing your perspective. Curator: It’s been a pleasure, for to look with someone like this always illuminates my world afresh, so thanks for joining me!