Washerwomen 1913

Wilhelm Altheim made 'Washerwomen' with graphite and colored pencil, but when, I couldn’t say… I’m really drawn to the tent-like shapes of the laundry, how they mirror one another across the composition. You can almost feel the breeze moving through the scene. It makes me think of the light, airy drawings of David Hockney, who has a similar ability to make humble subjects seem grand. There’s something so lovely about the way Altheim captured the everyday labor of these women. He took the time to really look at them, considering their labor, as he built up these delicate marks and colors. The pastel blues and greens feel so fresh, and they give the drawing an ethereal quality. You can imagine Altheim, sketchbook in hand, trying to get all this down on paper before the light shifts. It’s like he wanted to honor their work.