Old Lady with Scar on her Cheek 

Georgios Jakobides made this drawing of an old lady with a scar on her cheek in Greece sometime between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Jakobides was a leading figure in the Greek art scene, and was instrumental in establishing academic art education in the country. This drawing, like much of his work, reflects a focus on realism, but it also raises questions about the politics of representation. In a society undergoing rapid modernization, Jakobides seems to be pointing to the lives of ordinary people often left out of official narratives. The woman’s dignified bearing, despite the scar, challenges conventional beauty standards. The scar itself might allude to a life marked by hardship, perhaps reflecting the social and economic struggles of many Greeks at the time. Historical archives, personal letters, and studies of Greek society during this period might offer clues to a more complete understanding of the artwork. Ultimately, the work reminds us that artistic meaning is shaped by the social context in which it is created and viewed.