Staande vrouw met mand 1854 - 1910

Editor: This is Willem Maris's "Standing Woman with Basket," made with pencil around the late 19th century. It feels like a quick sketch, something very immediate and personal. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Well, immediately I’m drawn to the woman’s posture and clothing. The sketch captures a moment in time that seems deceptively simple. But what can we unpack if we consider the historical context of a working-class woman during this period, probably someone from a rural area or the margins of an emerging urban space? Does her dress signify regional identity, maybe even resistance to homogenisation? How is Maris, as the artist, engaging with her subject and their class difference? Editor: That’s fascinating, I hadn’t really considered the social implications. I just saw a drawing. But I do notice how the light captures the folds of her clothes. Curator: Exactly! It makes me wonder, what kind of labor is represented by this basket? How does the weight of it inform our reading of her? Could this image prompt a broader conversation on female labor and economic realities of the era? Are there ways the sketch reflects and potentially critiques these realities, if subtly? Editor: That makes so much sense. It reframes the whole picture for me. What seemed like a simple drawing opens up a lot of questions about social class, work and representation. Curator: It is an example of how even the most unassuming works can resonate with social meaning when approached with a critical eye to gender and labour dynamics, no? Editor: I'll never look at a simple genre scene the same way again. Thank you. Curator: My pleasure. Remember to always consider who is being represented and who is doing the representing.