Portret van Juliana, koningin der Nederlanden 1926

This undated portrait of Juliana, Queen of the Netherlands, captures a moment in time with sepia tones and a soft focus. It’s a photograph, but thinking like a painter, I’m drawn to the textures and how they create depth. Look at the way the light catches the lace on the table, almost dissolving into the background. There's a real contrast between the crisp details of the Queen’s face and the dreamy quality of the foliage behind her. This tension between clarity and ambiguity is what makes it so captivating. The neutral palette enhances this sense of timelessness, as if the image is gently fading, becoming a memory. The composition reminds me of some of Gerhard Richter’s blurred portraits. It is as if the image is not about capturing an exact likeness, but evoking a feeling, a mood. Ultimately, art is about embracing the unknown and exploring all the different ways we can see the world.