Arme oude vrouw op een bouwplaats 1857 - 1858

Curator: So, here we have Paul Gavarni's drawing, "Arme oude vrouw op een bouwplaats," created around 1857-1858. It's currently housed here at the Rijksmuseum. What strikes you initially about it? Editor: The texture, definitely the texture. The rawness of the materials surrounding her juxtaposed with what looks like well-worn fabric. It reads to me as resilience crafted from grit, almost literally from the look of it! Curator: Indeed! Gavarni really captures that stark reality, doesn't he? He was a master of line, and it's all pencil here. I almost feel like I can see the artist, quickly sketching, moved by the subject— the energy really pops for what is essentially an evocative sketchbook page. Editor: Right, the immediacy. Look at the rough edges of those building stones – their sheer scale emphasizing the woman's fragility but then, consider what the materials are made of—sedimentary rock formed through layers of organic materials, and now being processed to literally construct social foundations—it creates an inescapable comment. Curator: And I love how that rawness allows her inner world to peek through. There's a tenderness in her upward gaze, a gentle resignation perhaps. The romance of an industrious spirit meeting cruel circumstances—you know? A very powerful comment on the margins of Parisian society in transition. Editor: The setting speaks volumes. Building sites are intrinsically linked to ideas of progress, industry, labor. The raw building materials are a physical reminder of the costs, those pushed to the fringes of societal building and renewal projects—a study of how material circumstances deeply shaped lived realities and human experience. Curator: A poignant reminder that progress always comes at a human cost. Her posture is very striking as well: not defeated, exactly. Just weary and resting. Editor: Ultimately, it reveals how a drawing can reflect broader societal realities, highlighting inequalities embedded within structures that continue to endure today, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Curator: That's Gavarni—a true humanist capturing glimmers of hope amidst hardship. Something in that look of resilience and perhaps defiance that leaves you feeling it will somehow turn out.