Portrait of a Woman 1947

Paul Wieghardt made this etching, 'Portrait of a Woman,' sometime in the mid-20th century. I imagine Wieghardt leaning over the plate, carefully drawing into the wax with his etching needle, breathing in the fumes. It's an intimate portrait, rendered with such delicate lines. She's resting, lost in thought, maybe daydreaming. I bet Wieghardt was trying to capture a quiet moment of contemplation. See how the lines around her face are so tentative, so light? It's like he's feeling his way around her features, trying to capture something fleeting and internal. I'm also reminded of other artists—Käthe Kollwitz or Paula Modersohn-Becker—who explored similar themes of introspection and the human condition through printmaking. It's like artists are always in conversation with each other across time, riffing on similar ideas and pushing the boundaries of what's possible. This portrait invites us into a space of quiet reflection, where the ambiguity of feeling and meaning is not only embraced but celebrated.