Zittende vrouw 1834 - 1862

Pieter Marinus van de Laar created this watercolor wash drawing on paper, sometime in the mid-19th century. Note how the transparency of the wash allows the artist to build up tone, defining the folds in the woman’s clothing. This technique is economical, but also very difficult to control. The artist has imbued the quotidian scene with significance, through the use of watercolor, a medium with its own rich social history. Although we now think of watercolor as an amateur’s pastime, in this period it was at the heart of British landscape painting. Its portability made it perfect for outdoor sketching, and its capacity for subtle atmospheric effects suited the romantic sensibility. Here, this association is ironically turned on its head. Instead of a grand vista, we have an interior scene, focused on the modest labour of an aging woman. And yet, by applying the same artistic language, Van de Laar grants her the same dignity. It makes us consider the social context of artmaking itself.