Zittende naakte vrouw 1884 - 1952

Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries made this small print of a seated nude woman. The dark marks carve out the quietness of this piece. The solid dark form creates an edge for the figure to sit. I try to imagine what it was like for De Vries to make this image. How they must have sat with the model, perhaps with a sketchbook, absorbing the form, the shadows, the light. They then took this knowledge and, with their skill, translated it into this print. There's a tradition here, an exchange of ideas across time between the artist and the nude. There is something so intimate in the gesture of the arms hugging the legs that makes me want to hold my own arms right now. The artist invites the viewer to ponder the nature of art and the body. It's an ongoing conversation.