Vrouw die hooi of graan bundelt c. 1884 - 1887

Willem Witsen, a Dutch artist known for his sketches and paintings of daily life, created this charcoal drawing, "Vrouw die hooi of graan bundelt" (Woman Binding Hay or Grain), sometime between 1884 and 1887. The drawing, currently housed in the Rijksmuseum, captures a fleeting moment of labor. The artist's focus on the woman's hands and the way they deftly manipulate the hay or grain, suggests an interest in the physicality of work and the lives of ordinary people. Witsen's loose, gestural style, using quick, sketchy lines, further emphasizes the spontaneity of the scene.