Annoncekaart van de tentoonstelling "De Vrouw, 1813-1913" before 1919

This is Nelly Bodenheim's invitation card for the exhibition "The Woman, 1813-1913", made in Amsterdam, we think around 1913. It's ink and watercolor on paper. I can really feel Nelly's hand here, the way she playfully arranged all these objects to spell out "catalogus." You can feel her delight in the tools and paraphernalia of art – the palette, the easel, the paint tube squeezing out color like guts...It’s like she's inviting us into her studio, into her world of making. The palette with its daubs of color and the paint running out – reminds you that painting isn't just a cerebral exercise, but a messy, embodied process. I love the way she's humanized the mannequin in the ‘S,’ like she's given it a personality, a little wink. Bodenheim seems to be saying that even the most inanimate objects can come to life with a little imagination. It's a reminder that art is never created in a vacuum, but emerges from a rich tapestry of influences, conversations, and shared experiences.