Landschap en een staande vrouw met een muts 1875

George Clausen made this sketch titled "Landschap en een staande vrouw met een muts" using graphite on paper. He was a British artist who lived between 1852 and 1944. Although undated, this study is an example of Clausen's work made en plein air. This Impressionistic method of working outdoors to capture scenes of everyday life coincided with the Newlyn School movement and other artists interested in the lives of rural communities. We can compare this sketch to his paintings of working women and landscapes from the late 19th century. Clausen made them at a time when the art world was very concerned with representing the working classes, often in a romantic or idealized way. Looking more closely, you might want to consider how Clausen’s training at the South Kensington School influenced his technique. As art historians, our interpretation is always contingent on access to social and institutional history.