Twee staande vrouwen 1875 - 1934

Curator: Isaac Israels’ "Twee staande vrouwen", made between 1875 and 1934, is a pencil drawing currently held here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Well, it’s certainly a sketch. It has a real raw energy about it. It almost feels incomplete but holds your attention. Curator: Precisely. Observe the economy of line. Israels captures the essence of the figures with minimal strokes. The spatial relationship between the women is suggested more than defined. Editor: I'm intrigued by that lack of definition, and I am especially interested in understanding its historical context. What can we understand of women and labor during Israels' time? What stories do these bodies silently hold about gender roles? Curator: It's difficult to place that kind of narrative within this artwork due to the figures dissolving. Rather, it becomes an interrogation of the fundamentals of figuration, of form and suggestion. Notice, too, the expressive marks on the side – a sort of gestural annotation. Editor: Those are definitely intriguing. Maybe a signature. For me, that act of abbreviation is rife with social commentary. Women, throughout art history, especially laboring class women, have often been seen through quick or minimized artistic representations. It echoes that feeling of invisibility. Curator: But doesn't that also speak to Impressionism, which focuses on fleeting impressions, quick takes of observed reality. Perhaps its more in line with stylistic gestures in his painting rather than some complex dialogue on historical context. Editor: I think it’s important to not see historical narratives and formalist structure as distinct. Can’t these expressive gestures give insights on gender and social structures as much as color or shape? Curator: You make a compelling point. By dissecting and observing that tension, we gain a deeper understanding of the dialogue at play here. Editor: Absolutely. I’ll be spending some time considering these implications a bit further.