The central theme in the oeuvre of Hendrik Jan Wolter (1873-1952) always has been to capture the (atmospheric) light, whatever the subject or medium of his work was. In the present drawing the artist has applied the solf toned grey paper in an astutely way to capture the portrait of this Ginger Youth and her serene complexion.
Regarding the date of the present drawing (1900), it was made shortly after Wolter studied at the Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerp followed by three years at Institut Superieur and his further education in Paris until 1899 after which the artist settled in Leusden.[1]
The portrayed girl in this mesmerizing tranquil portrait of A Ginger Girl certainly cannot be regarded as a Tronie. She has been drawn with such an enormous amount of personal appreciation and dedicated involvement, the captured introverted serene moment shows she must have felt fully confident and safe with the artist being portrayed in this intimate moment. Given the aforementioned, she has to be somebody within the close personal surroundings of the artist, although the identity of the red-haired youth remains a mystery so far.
[1] Maarten Jager, Op reis met Hendrik Jan Wolter (1873-1952).
Uitgeverij Bekking, Amersfoort, 2010.
