Portret van Jeanne Henriette Reine Reyneke van Stuwe 1917

This is a photograph, "Portret van Jeanne Henriette Reine Reyneke van Stuwe", by Arie M.A. Susan & Co. I’m curious about this Jeanne, whoever she was! I like to imagine the moment of creation, the click of the camera, and the kind of concentration that demands. The soft sepia tones create a timeless quality, a gentle wash over everything. It's all about surfaces here: the way the light catches on the soft folds of her hat. I can feel the cool smoothness of the photographic paper, see her serious look in the photograph. The dark ink of the writing in the lower half is so interesting, it jumps out at me. It looks almost etched in with the date 1917 beneath. How much of painting is about looking? How much is about thinking? How much is about feeling? Maybe Jeanne felt the same way too. We are all in conversation with one another after all.