Study for "Laying the Bets" 1935

Minna Citron made this pencil study in 1935, perhaps on a scrap of paper. Look closely at the scene she is composing. I can see the ghostly shapes of three men huddled around a table, leaning in to get a better look. I wonder what it was like for Citron to be a woman sketching in this time. Did she feel like an outsider? It must have been a challenge to capture such a scene quickly and discreetly, and I admire the fluidity of her lines, how she suggests the weight and form of the figures with such economy. The sketch is not highly finished but loose and open, yet so suggestive. I like how the table becomes a focal point, drawing the men together in shared interest. This drawing feels part of a conversation between artists across time, each interpreting and reinterpreting the world around them. It leaves room for us to bring our own experiences and interpretations to the work.