Johanna Pauline, Tochter des Bankiers Müller 1860

Otto Scholderer made this drawing of Johanna Pauline, daughter of the banker Müller, with pencil on paper. Notice how the artist rendered the child's likeness with soft, delicate strokes. The composition is dominated by the subject’s head and shoulders, capturing her in a contemplative, almost dreamlike state. Scholderer's use of line is particularly striking. He employs a network of fine, curving lines to depict the texture of her curly hair. These lines create depth and volume, giving the hair a sense of movement and vitality. The shading is subtle, achieved through varying the density and direction of the pencil strokes. This technique adds to the drawing's overall softness and imbues it with a gentle, ethereal quality. The gaze of the figure invites us to consider not only what is represented, but how it is represented, prompting questions about the nature of perception and representation itself. This formal quality invites a continuous dialogue between the artwork and its viewers.