Schetsblad met drie studies van een vrouw met een parasol 1824 - 1894

Charles Rochussen created this sketch on paper, now held at the Rijksmuseum, presenting three studies of a woman with a parasol. The composition is divided into three distinct sections, each capturing the woman in a different pose and from varying perspectives. The medium is pencil. Rochussen's emphasis on line and form over detail invites us to consider the structural elements of the image. The repeated motif of the woman, each time slightly altered, challenges our perception of a singular, fixed subject. The lines, though simple, deftly convey a sense of volume and space. The parasol, an incomplete sketch in itself, acts as a signifier of the era's social norms and the woman's position within it. Rochussen is not merely depicting a woman with a parasol; he is exploring the interplay between representation, social context, and the formal qualities of drawing itself. The work reminds us that the meaning of art is not inherent but constructed through our engagement with its form.