De vrouw bij het spinnewiel 1811 - 1867

Christiaan Wilhelmus Moorrees made this pencil drawing, entitled 'The Woman at the Spinning Wheel', in the Netherlands in the first half of the 19th century. At first glance, this image seems to depict a simple, everyday scene: a woman spinning, a hunter with his dog. However, it is important to consider the social conditions that shaped artistic production at this time. Moorrees was working during a period of significant social and economic change in the Netherlands. The traditional agrarian economy was being challenged by the rise of industrialization. The artist seems to comment on these societal structures by showing the contrast between traditional and more contemporary lifestyles. Is the hunter a welcome visitor, or is his presence a disturbance to the domestic peace? To understand the image more fully, we can look at how the artist uses visual cues to create meaning. Further investigation into the artist’s life, and study of the changing economic and social conditions in the Netherlands might give us a better insight into the cultural dynamics at play here.