Oude vrouw in gebed 1877 - 1937

Henriëtte de Vries created this print, *Oude vrouw in gebed* – or *Old Woman Praying* – without specifying when. Look closely and you’ll notice the tonality is achieved through an intricate network of lines, building up darks and lights with a dedication that feels almost devotional itself. The texture! It's all in the marks, right? See how the lines swarm around the woman's face and hands, suggesting a quiet intensity? The table’s surface, crowded with humble objects, gives a sense of daily life, made sacred through habit and, maybe, gratitude. And the darks! They deepen the shadows, yes, but they also deepen the emotional weight of the image, creating a space of interiority that feels both intimate and universal. De Vries brings to mind Käthe Kollwitz, another artist who found the monumental in the mundane. It's a reminder that art, like prayer, is about finding the extraordinary in the ordinary, the profound in the personal.