Studies van een vrouw met poes en vrouwen aan wastobben 1900 - 1916

Rik Wouters made this drawing, Studies van een vrouw met poes en vrouwen aan wastobben, with ink on paper. I love how he just goes for it with these marks, almost like he’s thinking aloud with his pen. There’s a real freedom in the way he captures these everyday scenes. It’s all about the gesture, the quick, confident lines that suggest form and movement. Notice the way he renders the figures, especially the women and the cat. It's like he is trying to capture the essence of these figures in just a few strokes, it's an art of reduction. The bottom half of the composition is dedicated to women doing their laundry. You can see how Wouters is sketching out the scene and trying to find the right balance. In a way, this drawing reminds me of Matisse’s sketches, the way he could distill a form down to its most essential elements. It’s all about capturing the energy and the life of the moment, an ongoing conversation that transcends time.