Reliëf boven het portaal van het stadhuis te Nijmegen c. 1890 - 1922

This linear drawing by Johanna van de Kamer depicts a stone relief above the portal of the town hall in Nijmegen. I imagine Johanna standing in the square with her sketchbook, trying to capture all the details. Look at the texture created by her hatching and cross-hatching marks to build up tone and volume, giving the impression of a 3D object. I imagine that the graphic marks and tonal contrasts capture her emotional response to the relief. You know, I often wonder what it was like to be a woman artist at the turn of the 20th century. What sorts of struggles and challenges did she have to overcome? It seems as if she carefully considers each line and shade, as if she is embracing the weight of history with each stroke of the pencil. The way Johanna captured the scene is rooted in a long tradition of artists documenting public art and architecture. In so doing, artists like Johanna give their own interpretation, offering new ways of seeing and thinking about public art and the stories it tells.