1625
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Two Female Heads is a 1625 by Abraham Bloemaert, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This small drawing shows two side-by-side views of the same woman’s face. One profile looks left, the other right. Bloemaert made these heads as a study—almost like a 1600s selfie filter. The same model, the same light, but two angles. The lines are soft, not stiff, so the face feels alive. It’s a quiet lesson in how to draw a person from memory. If you like this, look up chiaroscuro—the way artists use light and shadow to shape a face.
The power and sensitivity of this small drawing depicting two views of the same female head far exceeds the sheet’s modest size.
These female heads drawn from two angles may have been studies for an instruction book for artists published by Bloemaert in the 1600s.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Abraham Bloemaert (25 December 1566 – 27 January 1651) was a Dutch painter and printmaker who used etching and engraving.
See the richer artist pageYour cart is empty
Explore artworks →
