Kasteel op een berg c. 1860 - 1865

This is Maria Vos' sketch, "Kasteel op een berg," or "Castle on a Mountain" which resides at the Rijksmuseum. Vos, born in 1824, lived in a time when women artists were often relegated to specific genres, such as still life or portraiture, deemed appropriate for their gender. Here, Vos transcends those boundaries, capturing a landscape with a stark, unromanticized eye. The castle, usually a symbol of power and authority, is softened through her delicate pencil strokes. One cannot help but think about the restrictions placed upon female artists during this era. Consider how Vos, through this simple sketch, subtly challenges those societal expectations. This drawing offers a quiet rebellion, a statement of artistic freedom claimed by a woman in a world that often sought to limit her expression. It invites us to reflect on the constraints of gender and the power of art to defy them.