Vrouw met mand 1777 - 1779

Pieter de Mare created "Vrouw met mand" using pen and ink. The composition is stark, with a focus on line and form, presenting a figure rendered with minimal detail against a plain ground. This encourages us to focus on the structural elements of the drawing itself. De Mare uses line to define the woman's clothing, the basket she carries, and the contours of her body. The vertical lines of the skirt contrast with the rounded shapes of her cap and the basket, creating a visual rhythm. The use of contour lines, without shading, emphasizes the flatness of the picture plane. This flattening effect distances the drawing from traditional illusionistic representation. This austere approach invites a reading that goes beyond mere depiction. The drawing engages with the semiotic function of clothing and objects as signifiers of social identity. The woman’s simple attire and the plain basket suggest a certain socio-economic status. But, it also invites us to consider how such signs function within broader cultural narratives about labor, gender, and representation. The very act of drawing, with its inherent linearity and abstraction, serves to highlight the constructed nature of meaning.