Karikaturen van een vrouw 1876 - 1924

Curator: This drawing, held at the Rijksmuseum, is entitled “Karikaturen van een vrouw,” or “Caricatures of a Woman.” The artist, Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof, rendered it sometime between 1876 and 1924 using pencil as his medium. Editor: They feel both humorous and slightly unsettling, don't they? The lines are so economical, yet they convey such distinct—if somewhat exaggerated—features. The way the pencil shading defines the jawlines gives them a very distinctive presence. Curator: Indeed. While it's presented as a set of caricatures, Dijsselhof subtly engages with traditional modes of portraiture, but bends it to his artistic will. Think of the ways hairstyles carry symbolic weight, then think of what is says of how those styles get abstracted here. Editor: Precisely. And the realism tempered by caricature – it pushes the subjects beyond simple representation. The bun atop the head in each portrait transforms the subject into almost an icon of her station. We can read class status and even character, somehow, through the rendering of this one stylistic element. Curator: The multiple sketches also allow us insight into the artist’s process. Dijsselhof is, after all, Dutch Golden Age and realism personified. Editor: So, these drawings, though seemingly simple at first glance, present a complex interplay between realistic depiction, symbolic interpretation, and pure, expressive line work. Curator: Absolutely. They serve as an intriguing lens through which to view both individual character and the broader social landscape of the era. It is that psychological, emotional link, not always found, that makes this compelling.