Zittende vrouw 1854 - 1914

Curator: Here we have "Zittende Vrouw", or "Seated Woman," a pencil drawing by Albert Neuhuys. It’s currently housed here at the Rijksmuseum, dating sometime between 1854 and 1914. Editor: It has that beautiful sketchbook quality, doesn't it? Intimate. I feel like I'm peeking over Neuhuys' shoulder as he's sketching. There’s something about the vulnerability of the medium. The way the pencil trails off in parts gives a fleeting, ethereal feel. Curator: Absolutely. Considering its Realist style, Neuhuys gives us something really human, a candid moment, that is less staged than a lot of more formal paintings. Editor: It's fascinating how the slouched posture communicates volumes, like the weight of untold stories settled onto her shoulders. The sketch feels incredibly grounded, almost melancholic. What do we know about who she might have been? Curator: It's difficult to be sure. There are many records that situate Neuhuys within the second generation of the Hague School; realism in the Netherlands emphasized rural, peasant life. This study is almost certainly that. It captures an essence rather than specifics. The materiality underscores that focus – pencil and paper – accessible tools portraying the quotidian. Editor: Do you think there's something potent in its very unfinishedness? Maybe its strength comes from resisting the urge to define her completely, leaving her a space to be her own person, even now. We only see a little bit of the book binding itself too; everything outside is cut off. Curator: Well, many sketches are studies for future works, allowing artists to experiment freely with their subjects, especially during artistic movements when traditional norms were debated. "Zittende Vrouw" really illuminates how a simple medium and subject can say so much. Editor: Yes. It really speaks volumes about those quiet, overlooked corners of life. I appreciate that fleeting sense of intimacy, even with so little detail. Curator: It invites the viewer to meet her gaze and construct her narrative. And I think it remains resonant because those human experiences and those emotional worlds, depicted are truly perennial.