A Woman Bathing in a Stream (Hendrickje Stoffels) 1998

Editor: This is Leon Kossoff's "A Woman Bathing in a Stream (Hendrickje Stoffels)." The lines are so frenetic, creating such a dynamic sense of movement! What do you notice about the composition? Curator: Note the distinct etching marks. Kossoff uses line to create volume, not contour. Observe how the density of lines creates shadow, defining the figure and the surrounding space. How does this affect your perception of depth? Editor: I see! It makes it seem flatter, more about the surface than realism. I initially saw chaos, but the lines really construct the form. Curator: Precisely. The abstraction allows us to appreciate the formal relationships – the interplay of line, texture, and space – rather than a mere representational likeness. Editor: I see the image differently now. It is less chaotic and more deliberate. Curator: Yes, the expressive line and spatial tension are the essence.