Staande vrouw met hoofddoek en mand 1848 - 1888

Curator: Standing before us is Anton Mauve's "Standing Woman with Headscarf and Basket," dating from 1848 to 1888. Editor: My initial impression? A study in greys and browns, delicate but conveying a world of quiet labor. You can almost smell the damp earth clinging to her clothes. Curator: Absolutely, it's an impressionistic approach, but with this fascinating emphasis on the everyday. I feel the watercolour contributes to this impression. I see her, headscarf wrapped, almost dissolving into the misty background... like a fleeting memory. It has an ephemeral beauty, almost ghostly, don't you think? Editor: Ghostly, perhaps because of the material scarcity it implies. Watercolour lends itself well to the themes of the working classes as Mauve painted here. Cheap to produce, paper abundant, but also a 'lesser' medium to oils; watercolour reflects social and economic constraints shaping the work. Look at her worn clothes – these textures speak volumes of production cycles, trade routes and consumption. This headscarf for example – locally spun, dyed or bought? Her position as a producer, consumer or both is left frustratingly undefined. Curator: Fascinating point about materiality! Though, I also find this undefinable feeling rather poetic. To me it elevates her… not *above* labor, but *within* it. Look at the soft strokes defining the face – is that weariness or peacefulness we're seeing? Mauve is, perhaps, questioning the romantic idea of rural existence, as well, presenting something far more nuanced. Editor: I’m always looking for evidence of the grind, if you will. What *was* she carrying? Are those textiles or foodstuffs? I get almost more hung up on the production of her headscarf, and on the actual craft that made that basket, than I do about what the artist might want me to *feel*. Curator: I can certainly understand that interest in tracing objects back through processes of making. For me though, in this instance, Mauve creates more of a presence than documentation. Editor: Well, ultimately, both of our perspectives hinge on this little study's visual and material presence in front of us, which keeps the conversation interesting! Curator: Exactly! It remains wonderfully suggestive, sparking our varied readings still to this day.