Kromming van een rivier, vermoedelijk de Rijn bij Oosterbeek 1834 - 1906

This is an undated pencil drawing titled 'Kromming van een rivier, vermoedelijk de Rijn bij Oosterbeek', or 'Bend in a river, presumably the Rhine near Oosterbeek' by Maria Vos. Vos lived at a time when women artists often found themselves confined to specific genres, such as still life or landscapes. However, within these constraints, she, like many of her female contemporaries, found ways to express her individual perspective. The subtle tonal variations in her landscapes, for example, suggest an introspective and deeply felt connection with nature. Consider the act of drawing itself, a practice often seen as preparatory or secondary. Perhaps, for Vos, the immediacy of the pencil allowed for a more direct, unfiltered expression of her emotional response to the world around her. This unassuming sketch invites us to reflect on the quiet acts of resistance and self-expression that occurred within the domestic sphere. It gently questions the boundaries between personal experience, artistic creation, and societal expectations.