Studie van een vrouw, rugfiguur 1919

Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita made this study of a woman, back view, with pencil on paper. You can see the artist circling around the head and the curve of the shoulders, again and again. I feel like I can see him searching for the right curve, the exact angle, each line a little experiment. Imagine the artist sitting there, maybe a little unsure, but trying to capture something elusive about the sitter. Look at the soft shading around the figure. You can see how the pencil lines create a sense of depth and volume, giving her form. It feels very intimate, like we’re catching a glimpse of a private moment. It reminds me of other artists like Paula Modersohn-Becker who were also trying to capture the quiet strength of women in their work. It’s like all these artists are in conversation with each other, across time, each one building on what the others have done, and it makes you realize that art is never really finished, just continued.