Abraham van der Schoor

Abraham van der Schoor carried a tiny mirror in his pocket and painted portraits where the light hits the sitter’s face first, like a secret wink. He was the kind of artist who left his hometown of Haarlem for the free air of Amsterdam, where he swapped stiff family portraits for loose, sun-drenched scenes of music and laughter, think taverns where strangers become friends over a drink. You’ll spot his trick in Concertul, a painting where the musicians’ faces glow from the side like they’re lit by a real window.