Zittende dame met hondje op schoot c. 1774 - 1808

Johan Antoni Kauclitz Colizzi created this print titled 'Zittende dame met hondje op schoot,' or 'Seated Lady with a Dog in her Lap'. The composition, dominated by linear hatching, creates a remarkable sense of form. Colizzi masterfully employs line to define the contours of the lady and her small dog. Note how the hatching doesn't just illustrate, but generates light and shadow, giving the image a dynamic, three-dimensional quality. The contrast between areas of dense lines and blank space highlights form and texture. The materiality of the print, with its emphasis on line, is central to its meaning. Colizzi invites us to consider how lines not only describe the lady and dog but function as an abstract system that constructs the image itself. This interplay between representation and abstraction destabilizes traditional notions of portraiture, challenging viewers to engage with the artwork on a conceptual level. The print’s structure becomes a semiotic system, each line a sign contributing to the overall narrative. Ultimately, the artwork offers a compelling engagement with questions of representation and abstraction.