Portrait of a Woman c. 1986s

Saul Steinberg created this portrait of a woman with pen and ink and graphite on paper. At first glance, one might notice the linear quality of Steinberg's drawing, the simple shapes, and the direct gaze of the sitter. The composition is symmetrical, reinforcing a sense of order and formality. But look closer: Steinberg’s lines are far from precise, and this inherent instability introduces an element of playful subversion. His work often touches on themes of identity and representation, as he blurs the lines between reality and artifice. The woman's simplified form and stylized features challenge traditional portraiture's goal of capturing a true likeness. What is the artist trying to communicate about the sitter's identity or social role? Is this perhaps a comment on the constructed nature of identity itself? Steinberg destabilizes the very notion of fixed meaning in representation, reminding us that what we see is always mediated, interpreted, and subject to change.