Boerenvrouw aan tafel 1904

Marie de Roode-Heijermans drew this image of a peasant woman at a table using what looks like graphite and crayon. The marks here are searching, not sure, feeling their way around the page in the best possible way. The texture of the paper is allowed to come through, the surface is rough, raw. The colour, mostly muted, is broken by the burnt orange of the trim on her bonnet. I keep coming back to the hands; they are drawn with such love and tenderness, they tell the story of her life and work. This piece reminds me a little of Paula Modersohn-Becker’s drawings; both artists shared an interest in portraying the dignity of working-class women. This drawing feels like a conversation, an exchange of ideas across time. It is open to interpretation, we are invited to reflect on the story of this woman.