Studies van een lezende vrouw en spelende kat 1892 - 1916

Rik Wouters made this drawing, "Studies van een lezende vrouw en spelende kat", with ink on paper. The quick, gestural marks create a kind of dance between the woman and her cat, and you can see the artist trying out different poses and angles. I can imagine Wouters in his studio, quickly sketching to capture a fleeting moment. He must have been thinking about movement, how to capture the way light reflects on the curve of a cat's back, or the way a person's head tilts when they're really absorbed in a book. You know, it reminds me of the way Degas used to draw dancers – not about perfection, but about trying to catch something real and alive. There’s a kind of raw energy in the lines, which is also really beautiful. It feels like a kind of shorthand, a way of speaking through drawing. These artists are always chatting to each other across time, working things out together.