Zittende vrouw Possibly 1819

Abraham Johannes Ruytenschildt created this drawing of a seated woman using pen and brown ink, a familiar medium for the time. Note how the artist uses line to create form, and the texture of the lines themselves. The controlled application of ink suggests a delicate touch, but there is also a sense of immediacy and movement. The woman is captured in a moment of contemplation, her head bent over her hands. The careful rendering of the sitter’s clothing and headwear reflects the social context of the time, and class distinctions. While on first glance, it appears to be a simple study, the work also raises questions about the role of labor, and the conditions that shaped the lives of ordinary people in the 18th and 19th centuries. Paying attention to the materials and the way they have been worked emphasizes how much drawings can tell us about skill, the social world, and how the boundary between craft and fine art is not so clear after all.