Spinster aan het werk 1872 - 1935

This print by Ferdinand Oldewelt shows a woman working at her spinning wheel in what looks like a dark interior. You can almost feel the repetitive motion of her hands. It’s so intimate, right? Like we’ve stumbled into her private world. I wonder what Oldewelt was thinking, what he was feeling as he made this? Was he interested in the play of light and shadow, or was he trying to say something about the lives of ordinary women? I love the way he’s used line to create texture and depth. The woman’s dress seems to blend into the wall behind her, but then her face is so clear, so present. It reminds me a little of Paula Modersohn-Becker, the way she captured the dignity of everyday life. These artists—they’re all in conversation, you know? Each one building on what came before, pushing the boundaries of what art can be. And for me, it's always about that exchange—the way one artist can inspire another, across time and space.