Seated Woman 1930

Aristide Maillol made this drawing, *Seated Woman*, with graphite on paper. The pose is so still, so calm. I wonder what he was thinking when he made it? The smudgy graphite gives a subtle, almost imperceptible texture to the piece. You can feel the give and take of the artist’s hand, adjusting the figure, searching for the right line. It’s like he’s feeling his way through the form, slowly building up the image, a bit like Cezanne. I find myself drawn to the angle of the head and the way the light falls across her shoulders. There’s something vulnerable and intimate about the pose, like we’re catching a glimpse of a private moment. Maillol was part of a generation of artists, like Matisse, who looked back to classical art for inspiration. I see this work as part of a broader conversation between artists across time, each one building on the ideas and innovations of those who came before, and making something new.