Woman Writing on a Table 1905

Thomas Pollock Anshutz made this painting, Woman Writing at a Table, with oil on canvas, but we don't know exactly when. The colour palette is very subdued, and the marks are soft, everything feels kind of muted, even the light. It's like you're looking at a memory. The table is a focal point, a kind of anchor in this domestic scene. You can see every little detail, like the objects are meticulously placed, and the way the light catches the edges makes them glow. But the woman writing is the real heart of this painting, and she's surrounded by all these objects, so it makes you wonder what she's thinking and feeling in this intimate space. It reminds me a little of Fairfield Porter, with the quiet beauty he finds in everyday life. But Anshutz has his own way of making it feel both intimate and mysterious, like a little stage set for a story that's just beginning to unfold.