Portret van een jonge vrouw 1904

This is "Portret van een jonge vrouw" by Johan Christiaan Reesinck, though we don't know when he made it. What strikes me about it is the pose. The woman sits elegantly in a patterned dress. I imagine Johan setting up his camera, fiddling with the focus, trying to capture just the right light on her face. He probably wanted to get her elegance and beauty. But there is also something about the stillness of the moment, like a brief pause in time. It is like he is saying, "Here I am, trying to capture something fleeting, something real." He is not just recording a likeness; he is engaging in a conversation with time, memory, and the very act of seeing. The final result is something that sits quietly and beautifully. And I wonder, what would Johan think if he knew we were still looking at his photograph so many years later?