Portret van een jonge vrouw 1930 - 1935

R. Morauw created this portrait of a young woman, and its monochrome palette suggests a thoughtful, intimate study. It feels like the beginning of an idea, a process of seeing. The tones are soft, almost dreamlike, and you can almost feel the surface of the photographic paper. It’s funny, isn’t it, how the texture of a thing can shape how we feel about it? Look closely at the woman’s jacket, covered in tiny dots. I wonder what inspired this choice, this all-over gesture. It’s so delicate, yet it gives the whole portrait this incredible energy. This reminds me a little of Gertrude Käsebier who also explored portraiture around the turn of the century, both seeing the act of image-making as a conversation, not a declaration. With a piece like this, the beauty lies in what isn’t said, in the space it leaves for us to wander, imagine, and feel.