Portret van een jonge vrouw met luifelhoed met linten 1880 - 1946

Editor: So, this is "Portrait of a Young Woman with Bonnet-Hat with Ribbons" by Anna Maria Kruijff, made sometime between 1880 and 1946. It's a watercolor, and it feels so delicate and intimate. What jumps out at you when you look at it? Curator: I’m immediately drawn to the labor embedded in creating this work, aren’t you? Look closely at the choice of watercolor as a medium. Watercolor painting, due to its accessibility, was often seen as a ‘feminine’ art, closely connected with domestic craft. Editor: Interesting. I never really considered it in terms of labor before, only style. Curator: Right, but consider also the production and accessibility of watercolor versus, say, oil paints and large canvases used by male artists in official academies. It’s an act of making art more democratic. Look how the artist captures light through the application of a thin layer of diluted pigment onto paper. Note the detail and care taken to depict the ribbons. Editor: The ribbons almost become the focal point. Like she’s trying to emphasize fashion's role for women during that era, something accessible and expressive. Curator: Precisely! The hat wasn’t just about fashion, it reflected broader consumer practices and class aspirations available to women during the late 19th century, don’t you think? How accessible would an item like this have been for someone from her milieu? Editor: That’s such a great point, the ribbons signal more than beauty, they're almost socio-economic markers, but depicted in such a ‘humble’ material like watercolour. Curator: Exactly! It encourages us to reflect on how women negotiated their identity within the context of domestic life and increasing industrial manufacturing during this time. It seems Anna Maria Kruijff acknowledges a woman’s world in her painting practice. Editor: This way of analyzing really shines a different light onto the portrait. Thank you! Curator: You're most welcome! Looking at art through the lens of production and accessibility can really reveal hidden layers of meaning.