Portrait of a Woman 1907

Peder Severin Krøyer made this portrait of a woman in 1907, and it looks like he used pastels, layering colors on top of each other. You can see the strokes, how they build up to create form and texture. I'm imagining Krøyer standing before his subject, trying to capture her essence with these soft, powdery sticks. What was she thinking as she sat for him? Was she nervous, bored, or intrigued by the process? I wonder how the artist felt about her. Was he trying to capture her likeness, or was he trying to say something more profound about her? Look at the way he uses color, a subtle palette of muted tones, with pops of gold on her necklace and dress. The gold almost feels like a symbol of her status or personality. The strokes are soft and gentle, which gives the portrait a dreamlike quality. This piece reminds me of other portrait painters like John Singer Sargent, who also sought to capture the personalities of their subjects through brushstrokes and color. It’s all part of this ongoing conversation between artists across time.