Zittende vrouw 1835 - 1888

Curator: Look at this delicate drawing; it's Jozef Israëls's "Zittende Vrouw," dating somewhere between 1835 and 1888, held here at the Rijksmuseum. The piece is an ink drawing—very small, very intimate. Editor: My goodness, that line work is restless. Almost agitated. You can feel the movement in those scribbles. It feels raw, immediate—like looking straight into someone’s anxiety. Curator: You’re right. He's known for those emotional portraits, almost aggressively capturing the raw feeling. The Realism movement certainly shines here, but look how he avoids idealizing the figure—capturing a humble scene using just ink. It is stripped down, raw emotional work. Editor: That focus on the everyday gets to the core of Realism—this feels particularly relevant when you consider Israëls' background. Coming from a family deeply embedded in the Dutch Jewish community, he had direct access to these kinds of working-class and poverty themes that resonate here. Curator: I see it more as capturing loneliness and internal contemplation. This image becomes about that universal experience of being weighed down. Even though we don't see much, the texture suggests an external weight as much as inner burden. Editor: And ink is the perfect medium, isn’t it? It’s so fundamental, so linked to literacy, the record-keeping, and the everyday labor. Also the choice of what kind of paper used plays its role: its production method, availability, and affordability are key! Curator: That’s such an interesting way to consider it, relating his themes with such specific processes! It also speaks of his access to those kind of materials. Makes one really consider how much of making is influenced by the outside. Editor: Exactly! When we're looking at a figure isolated by heavy scribbled marks like here, it pushes me to really analyze how those production capabilities have made it into something beautiful in front of me. Curator: Indeed. So much weight hangs in this very small portrait of daily life—we feel connected and even empathetic with the solitude. Editor: Absolutely, understanding both Israëls’s artistic intent and the labor linked to its production adds so much texture to the artwork.