Staand meisje dat haar rok optilt 1600 - 1659

Editor: This is "Standing Girl Lifting Her Skirt," a pencil drawing by Simon Vouet, made sometime between 1600 and 1659. It's currently held at the Rijksmuseum. The rendering is so delicate! What jumps out at you when you see it? Curator: The image really makes you think about the display of women in art and society at that time. Consider the institutions that would commission or collect such a work. Vouet's output often navigates the prevailing ideals and power structures, presenting figures, often women, in a manner deemed acceptable – even desirable – by the art market and its patrons. Do you think her posture has anything to do with those values? Editor: I suppose lifting her skirt would be considered risqué today, but maybe less so then? How would the patrons react? Curator: It’s a complex dynamic. These works, while seemingly innocuous, often served as controlled expressions of sensuality, playing within the boundaries of propriety. These pencil works allowed artists to disseminate such images relatively easily. Consider the power structures that are embedded in art. And I wonder, is this sketch a study for a larger painting, perhaps intended for a private collection, or was it always meant to be seen? Editor: So you are saying its function helps create a sense of acceptable sensuality? I hadn't thought about it in that way. I wonder if other similar pieces circulated then. Curator: Exactly. Examining the context in which art is produced and consumed sheds light on these deeper social and political nuances. What do you take away from our discussion? Editor: Now I see there's more to uncover than just the lovely lines and shading in the work! This discussion really adds to my appreciation of the art.