Twee studies van een vrouwenhoofd met een muts met oorijzers c. 1883 - 1885

George Hendrik Breitner created "Two Studies of a Woman's Head with a Cap and Earpieces" using graphite on paper. Immediately, you will notice the striking contrast between the dark, dense shading on the left and the light, airy sketch on the right. The composition is divided into two distinct yet interconnected studies, each exploring different aspects of the same subject. The structural interplay between the detailed and the sparse invites a semiotic interpretation. The dense shading on the left study could be seen as Breitner's attempt to capture the weight and form of the subject. The lines serve not just to depict, but to construct, lending an almost sculptural quality to the head. The lighter sketch on the right destabilizes any fixed interpretation. The sketch invites us to consider the ephemeral nature of perception, the subjectivity inherent in the act of seeing.