Staand meisje met een hoed c. 1876 - 1879

Curator: Welcome. Before us, we have "Standing Girl with a Hat," a pencil drawing on paper created circa 1876-1879 by Anton Mauve. It's part of the collection at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Oh, this feels like catching a secret! It's like peering into someone's sketchbook. The mood is... wistful? I imagine a lazy afternoon, maybe she's waiting for someone. Curator: The beauty here lies in the economy of line. Notice how Mauve captures the figure with such swift, confident strokes, conveying form and suggesting shadow with minimal effort. The hat itself becomes a focal point, doesn't it? Editor: Absolutely, that hat gives her a certain... poise, maybe even a bit of mystery. But the sketchiness—I'm not sure that's the right word, is it?—it feels so unfinished. Intimate because of it. Curator: "Unfinished" isn't quite right; consider it a study. The deliberate open space emphasizes the subject, almost isolating her. We are left to interpret not only her surroundings, but her very character. Editor: I like that... left to interpret. The pose is interesting too. Not a classical portrait. The hands especially...just suggested forms, but you still understand them. They communicate restlessness, like she’s barely able to stand still. Curator: Indeed. The dynamism comes through even in these few lines. And consider this: Mauve was van Gogh's cousin-in-law. We see some early foundations here. The quickness, that search for feeling over polished depiction... Editor: It makes me wonder about their conversations. Did they sketch together? Van Gogh took such different directions, of course, but to see this… It humanizes him somehow, knowing there's a thread to someone else's world, like finding a lost piece of a puzzle. Curator: Precisely. And consider, also, that it presents an informal scene of a woman – very different than a typical stiff society portrait. The artist suggests the potential for individual interpretation. Editor: Yes! Looking at it again...there is a modern feel. This almost casual glimpse...makes her feel present somehow. It is not so stiff. Curator: Ultimately, this drawing allows a unique perspective. A great work to analyze, I think. Editor: Yeah... that quiet observation. Makes you consider, the untold stories of all the girls in all the hats of the world. I like it more than when I first looked at it.