J.C.B. (JAN) SLUIJTERS 1881 Bois-le-Duc - 1957 Amsterdam Portrait of a Lady with a Hat

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Sluijters was always in search of beauty. The most beautiful feature of this painting's model was her clear brown eyes. He therefore drew attention to them by depicting them somewhat larger and emphasising their very distinctive colour. The vivid colours blue and green and the striking eyes of the sitter enhance the painting's effect, but do not make it any less realistic. The painting is full of details, such as the hairs of the muff and the golden bracelet with the red charm that is modelled in the paint, just as Rembrandt would have done. All the elements of the mature Sluijters are already present here. Until his death in 1957 he would use clear colours and vivid colour contrasts, with a great preference for flowers and a decorative background: an abstract pattern or a piece of fabric invariably forms a colourful contrast to make the subject stand out better. What is remarkable is that this work stems from a very experimental period in Sluijters' development, whilst little of this is evident in this realistic portrait. He depicted the young woman as beautifully as possible, whereby he somewhat exaggerated her strongest feature—her beautiful brown eyes—by depicting them somewhat larger than they probably were.

In 1904 Sluijters had received the Prix de Rome, the most important prize for young artists, with which he was expected to study and copy classical art in Spain, Italy and France. On his journey, however, he discovered the modern art of his time, and Sluijters returned from Paris with his head full of new ideas. There he had discovered a completely new way of painting. New compositions, new subjects and above all a completely new approach to colour. No palette based on brown or grey with carefully coordinated colours, as was customary in the Netherlands, but pure colour, unmixed and placed next to each other on the canvas. In this portrait, apart from its colourfulness, there is little evidence of modernism. Sluijters primarily shows what a good painter he was.

It was not easy to convince Dutch art lovers of this new direction. Sluijters' work was regularly refused at exhibitions during this period, which enhanced his reputation as a rebellious artist. But of course, he also needed buyers. In 1907 he met the art collector Dr J.F.S. Esser, who did support him and who, amongst other things, bought this painting from him. Esser was a remarkable man. He had become Dutch chess champion at a young age, became the founder of reconstructive surgery as a plastic surgeon, and was the discoverer of many important young painters. In a short time, between 1906 and 1912, he built up an enormous collection of works by Dutch artists. At that time, he was a general practitioner in Amsterdam. Artist friends frequented his practice on the Willemsparkweg, from Breitner and Israëls to Gestel, Mondriaan and Sluijters. He acquired their work, sometimes in exchange for treatment or for pulling a tooth. For Sluijters, Esser's support during this difficult period was of essential importance.

In Esser's collection there was also a drawing in coloured chalk, which appears to show the same young woman. She is wearing a somewhat smaller hat and has set her muff aside but is dressed in a blue dress and the small fox fur around her neck is also present. Particularly through the prominent eyebrows and dark hair it is clear it must be the same woman. Esser always liked to collect preliminary studies for paintings. He believed that the character and intentions of the artist came across better in these. It is remarkable that the preparatory study and painting have remained together for so long. Unfortunately, we no longer know who this beautiful young woman was. The vast majority of the Esser collection was auctioned after Esser's death in 1946. Our painting, however, remained in the family for a long time. Esser's granddaughter remembers that it always hung in a prominent place in the sitting room of her parental home in Amsterdam. Even Olga Esser, Johannes Esser's daughter, never knew who it could be. Esser had not yet met his first wife, Olga Hazelhoff Roelfzema, in 1908—she was only later portrayed by Sluijters.