Coupe Soleil 

Hubertine Heijermans created this vivid portrait, "Coupe Soleil," using oil on canvas, although the specific date remains unconfirmed. This close-up depiction of a young woman with striking makeup and dyed hair invites questions about contemporary ideals of beauty and self-expression. It would be easy to dismiss the image as merely reflecting superficial trends in pop culture, yet, when did the artist make this? Was it the 70s? 90s? Or the early 2000s? These answers would reveal a lot about what Heijermans is exploring in this image. The portrait style itself, with its direct gaze and cropped composition, could be seen as a comment on the hyper-visibility and scrutiny that young women face in the age of social media. Perhaps Heijermans is questioning traditional notions of female representation in art, moving away from passive objectification towards a more assertive and individualistic portrayal. To truly understand the social commentary embedded in "Coupe Soleil," we need to dig deeper into the cultural context of its creation, exploring the historical discourses surrounding beauty, gender, and identity.