Vrouw in een stoel 1891 - 1938

Hendrik Jan Wesseling made this little etching of a seated woman, using only line to describe her form. I'm immediately drawn to the simple economy of means. I can imagine Wesseling, hunched over a plate, pulling the needle across the surface, building up the image line by line. The woman seems lost in thought, her hand raised to her face in a gesture of contemplation. I wonder what she's thinking about. The lines create shadows and volume, but also a sense of lightness. It's interesting how much information the artist conveys with so few marks. It reminds me of some of the quick, gestural drawings of Picasso. Maybe Wesseling was looking at Picasso? Artists are always in conversation, borrowing and riffing off each other’s ideas. It’s like a game of telephone, each artist reinterpreting the message in their own way. Painting’s all about keeping the conversation moving, right?