Hoofd van een vrouw, in profiel naar links 1683 - 1733

Curator: Let’s explore “Head of a Woman, in Profile to the Left," a drawing attributed to Bernard Picart, likely created between 1683 and 1733, here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Immediately, I’m struck by the austerity. The red pencil on the grid evokes classical forms but it feels remarkably…clinical. Curator: It's fascinating how the artist deploys classical-realism, yet it also operates within the Neoclassical movement. There's an intriguing tension there. Consider how academic art from this era served to solidify particular aesthetic values, and often, social hierarchies. Editor: Precisely. The structural rigor is undeniable. The precision of line, the carefully plotted grid...it speaks volumes about form dictating the content. Do you find it cold? It almost feels…anatomical. Curator: I see a decided study in ideals of feminine beauty. The profile itself denies us emotional accessibility. Do we see power? Subservience? This denial asks us to consider who gets to embody these ideals, and how this limits expressions of identity. Editor: Perhaps that very ambiguity *is* the point. See how the artist has deployed line quality in such a subtle manner: where the line thins and thickens dictates what the eye rests upon first, guiding the viewers gaze.. Curator: It seems like you are pointing to the lack of sociopolitical considerations and how they inevitably shape what we see when we approach an artwork like this. Editor: Indeed. These careful, constructed relationships have to exist irrespective of societal discourse. Still, reflecting upon these observations enriches how we approach not just this artwork but opens the possibility for seeing more deeply within the art world more generally.