Breiende jonge vrouw 1847 - 1865

Adolf Carel Nunnink created this black and white print titled ‘Knitting Young Woman’. The composition directs our gaze from the knitting young woman seated on a bank, to the Dutch landscape. The subtle gradations of grey create depth, pulling the viewer into the flat horizon line, and suggesting the vastness of the Dutch landscape. The artist uses line and form to create a hierarchy of interest. Notice how the sharper lines in the foreground give way to softer lines in the distance. Semiotically, the act of knitting suggests themes of domesticity, labor, and the everyday lives of women in 19th century Netherlands. Yet Nunnink destabilizes these established meanings by setting his subject outdoors. Here we see how formal elements such as line and contrast are used to create meaning and to subtly engage in philosophical questions about women, work, and the natural world.