Læsende gammel dame 1810 - 1873

This is Wilhelm Marstrand's delicate sketch, "Reading Old Lady," currently held at the SMK. Marstrand's composition, rendered with sparse, confident lines, creates an intimate encounter. The artist employs an economy of means: the chair's structure is suggested by a few strokes, and the old woman's form emerges from a network of lines that define her posture and the fall of her dress. Light and shadow play across the scene, achieved through the density and direction of hatching, which also delineates the subtle textures of the room. Marstrand subtly destabilizes conventional portraiture; his interest lies not in idealized beauty but in the quiet dignity of everyday life. We are invited to contemplate the act of reading itself, and how it opens a space for reflection. The lines remain open for multiple interpretations, reminding us that the meaning of art lies not in fixed interpretations but in the ongoing dialogue between the artwork and the viewer.