Bomen 1834 - 1906

Maria Vos made this delicate pencil drawing, "Bomen" - meaning trees - while working in the Netherlands during the 19th century. Vos belonged to a generation of women artists who navigated the male-dominated art world by focusing on still life and landscapes. In her intimate rendering of trees, we see a space, perhaps, of quiet contemplation away from societal expectations and gender norms. While the art world celebrated grand historical paintings made by men, Vos found beauty and meaning in the quiet observation of nature, in the ordinary. The sketch is not just about trees; it is about a woman claiming her space in a world that often tried to confine her. Consider this drawing as an act of self-assertion, a declaration of presence, where each pencil stroke embodies a quiet rebellion against the status quo.