MCJ (Marie) Jordan (1866-1948), The Artist's Wife c. 1888 - 1923

George Hendrik Breitner made this painting of Marie Jordan, his wife, in oil, but we don’t know exactly when. Looking at this small portrait, it's all about the process, isn't it? The dark palette, full of murky browns and blacks, feels like he's trying to capture a fleeting moment, a thought half-formed. The paint is thin, almost transparent in places, but look at the surface texture! There's a physicality to it, a sense of the artist's hand moving quickly, urgently. See how he's rendered her face, just a few strokes, barely defined, emerging from the darkness? It's like he's not trying to create a perfect likeness, but rather capture something more elusive. It reminds me a bit of Whistler's portraits, that same interest in mood and atmosphere. It’s a conversation about the nature of representation and the power of suggestion. It’s like a sketch, and I love that!