Studies van de poes Lola c. 1887 - 1888

Curator: Check out this series of studies by Willem Witsen, dating back to about 1887 or 1888, delightfully titled "Studies van de poes Lola." It's currently held at the Rijksmuseum. What's your first reaction to it? Editor: The feeling I get immediately is… peaceful, almost domestic. It reminds me of quick moments of observation in a quiet room. And the pencil lines are so gentle! There’s such lightness about it, like a whispered secret. Curator: Absolutely. Given the era, it makes you think about the place of women and animals, even pets. Did he make these sketches at home, in his own time? Where does the place of the cat enter that discussion of ownership, class and status? I'm immediately drawn to that perspective on how it reflects broader societal structures of its time. Editor: Hmmm, good point. But you know, to me it feels less calculated, and more a spontaneous outpouring of affection and amusement for his companion animal. Maybe even the love of this everyday creature disrupts those hierarchies? The loose, impressionistic style, feels so different from, say, more posed society portraits of the time. It is a gesture against the artifice, against stuffy conventions. It's tender. Curator: I can definitely see that intimacy and care coming through, for sure. Yet the incomplete, almost abstract nature of the drawings might hint at other social complexities. For me it speaks volumes of how female subjects were depicted. Fragmented? Unfinished? The way the artist chooses what not to render, in comparison with what is chosen to depict. But how did such notions then also translate for cats and animals in those environments and contexts? The sketchy technique highlights our access, as onlookers, to observe such hierarchies being constructed through art-making. Editor: Oh, now that's an interesting point! That incompleteness invites the viewer to participate, to project, and that perhaps mirrors how we project meaning and value onto beings – animals included – around us. The question that lingers is… what would Lola have said? If only she had her own drawing pencil. Curator: Exactly, a conversation to imagine still and invite for any visitors looking. Thanks. Editor: My pleasure! Thanks for drawing out a perspective to really look closely into and past Lola.