Portrait of Lizzy Ansingh 1902

Thérèse Schwartze made this portrait of Lizzy Ansingh in 1902, likely using oils on canvas. Look at the way Schwartze has built up the surface, layering thin washes of color, especially in the face, where you can see the ghostly underpainting. The brushstrokes around the collar are quick, loose, as if Schwartze was trying to capture a fleeting impression rather than a precise likeness. It’s a process of feeling as much as seeing. I love how the hand supporting the head is just a few daubs of white and pink. It's gestural, expressive, and maybe a little bit unfinished, like a study, but this adds to its charm. The dark background makes the figure pop, and the overall effect is intimate and a little melancholic. This reminds me of some of Manet's portraits, where the focus is on capturing the essence of the sitter rather than photographic detail, and it says to me that art is a constant conversation, artists riffing off each other across time.