Woman with Needlework 1912

Lovis Corinth made this etching, Woman with Needlework, at some point in his life, using delicate marks to describe this scene. Imagine him, with his etching needle, almost caressing the plate, line by line. I wonder what he was thinking about as he made this portrait? Maybe he was interested in the quiet focus required for needlework. Or maybe it was a scene from his everyday life, captured with a quick, intimate observation. The lines are thin and light, kind of like a whisper. The etching captures a sense of domesticity, yet it’s got this raw, unfinished quality. The texture in the background—those vertical lines—are so different from the curves of the woman's dress. Think about how Corinth looked at the work of other artists, and then went off and made his own. Artists are always looking and learning from each other, right? It's like one big, never-ending conversation. This etching feels like a little piece of that conversation, light and thoughtful, but full of feeling.