Knielende vrouw op het land en een hoofd c. 1882 - 1884

This drawing of a kneeling woman in a field, with a head in the upper right corner, was made by Willem Witsen. Witsen was a Dutch artist working in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a time when the Netherlands was undergoing significant social and economic changes. While the woman's work may seem traditional, even timeless, it is important to remember that the romantic image of rural life often obscures the hardships of agricultural labor, particularly for women. The second, ghostly head floating in the corner raises a question: is this her own head? The head of a loved one? It is possible that Witsen sought to draw attention to the plight of rural workers, perhaps critiquing the social structures that kept them in poverty. To better understand this image, we might consult census records, agricultural reports, and social commentary from the time. The interpretation of art is always contingent on the social and institutional context in which it was made.