Sitting woman in profile 

Curator: Today we're looking at a drawing from the Städel Museum, titled "Sitting woman in profile" by Otto Scholderer. Editor: The first thing that strikes me is its ethereality. The soft pencil lines create this light, almost translucent image. You can practically feel the grain of the paper. Curator: It’s a beautiful example of realism, stripped down to its bare essentials. Scholderer captures the essence of the figure without overwhelming the viewer with details. It’s an intimate glimpse. I am struck by the casual domesticity of the image. Editor: Exactly, it really feels more like a study or a preparatory sketch. You can see the hand of the artist, the process of him figuring things out. What kind of paper would Scholderer have likely been using? The social value of art supplies is something I find myself returning to again and again. What would this paper represent to Scholderer's subject? Curator: I think for Scholderer, the choice of drawing and not paint suggests that it was a more personal, private study than a work meant for public consumption. It’s a different statement when drawing on paper than painting for an audience. Its seeming "unfinished" style only helps make that intention known. It speaks of class differences, and art for art's sake. The pencil sketches allow for immediacy; whereas a medium such as oil paint may lend the image a degree of high society pretension. Editor: Yes, the lack of color almost forces you to focus on the line work, the bare structure. How the light falls on the fabric and her form... It brings the texture to life, emphasizing its physical qualities. It makes the piece feel honest. Even humble, really. I think Scholderer sought to highlight a sense of humble reality in this portrayal of a subject sitting rather ordinarily. Curator: It's a compelling snapshot of a moment, rendered with incredible sensitivity. It humanizes both the artist and the sitter in its artful, and seemingly unadorned, presentation. It asks questions about artistic creation itself and its purpose. Editor: It does indeed, offering a quiet intimacy that transcends its simplicity. This piece brings together many issues surrounding production of and purpose for visual art.