Twee schetsen van zittende vrouwen 1841 - 1857

Johan Daniël Koelman created these two sketches of sitting women using pen and watercolour on paper. Notice how the composition is divided into two distinct vignettes, each presenting a woman in a state of quiet occupation. On the left, a woman sits on a stone block, possibly mending nets, set against a pale, undefined seascape. Her posture is contemplative, almost melancholic. To the right, another woman is captured in the act of spinning yarn. The colour palette is muted, dominated by blues and earth tones, which imparts a sense of understated realism. Here, Koelman seems to explore themes of labor and repose, capturing intimate moments of daily life. The artist uses line and form to convey a sense of structure and order, yet the fluidity of the watercolour softens the rigid formality, imbuing the sketches with a certain naturalism. Ultimately, these sketches are a study in contrasts: between activity and stillness, between the solidity of form and the fluidity of expression. They invite us to reflect on the quiet dignity of everyday life.