Sitting girl with a cat 1903

Albrecht Anker made this tender watercolor, ‘Sitting girl with a cat,’ sometime around 1900. There’s such quiet observation in the way the artist gently lays down the pale palette and seemingly effortless marks. I love the contrast between the soft, almost hazy, wash of color in the girl’s dress and the sharp, wiry line of the yarn that she holds up for the cat. Look at how the cat seems to be mirroring the girl's focus, its eyes following the thread with curious intensity. The texture of the paper comes through, giving the whole image a feeling of light and air. I find myself wondering about the domestic intimacy that’s captured here and the process of making visible the quiet moments of everyday life. There’s something about this painting that reminds me of Vilhelm Hammershøi, another artist who painted similar domestic interiors with a sensitive eye. What I appreciate is that each artist brings their own unique perspective to these shared subjects.