Geblinddoekte vrouw tussen twee figuren 1895 - 1935

Curator: Mathieu Lauweriks created this woodcut, "Geblinddoekte vrouw tussen twee figuren"—"Blindfolded Woman Between Two Figures"—sometime between 1895 and 1935. Editor: Immediately striking. The stark contrasts! That powerful figure in the center, blindfolded and vulnerable. Curator: The symbolism of the blindfolded woman resonates deeply. We might consider the ways in which women, throughout history, have been symbolically blinded or constrained by patriarchal systems. What does it mean to be guided, or misguided, by the figures on either side? Are they offering support or control? Editor: Visually, the composition draws your eye to the stark white of the woman’s bare legs, and then follows the curves of the surrounding patterned textile. The lack of shading is remarkable. Everything is delineated through solid black shapes or series of marks and patterns, achieving a sense of flatness and emphasizing the surface of the woodcut. Curator: And that deliberate flatness speaks to a broader cultural critique. Lauweriks, active in a time of immense social upheaval, seems to use this symbolic form to ask us about who is served by idealized forms, especially with consideration to gendered and classed status. We are confronted with questions of agency and social coercion. Editor: Absolutely, and those figures flanking her – note the detail of their robes, how they suggest solidity, permanence. I would posit they serve as an emphatic contrast to the near-absence of the blindfolded woman. Curator: These images invite us to confront difficult questions regarding our complicity and responsibility, considering the structures we accept and the perspectives we disregard. Editor: By studying the print, a rich picture is drawn. This tension between form and the historical contexts is fascinating!