Vrouw voor een prentstandaard 1882 - 1936

Manuel Robbe’s print depicts a woman browsing artworks, her gaze mirroring ours as viewers. The colours are muted and soft, like a hazy memory. It makes me wonder what was going through Robbe’s mind, what he felt as he built up the image. Maybe he was thinking about other artists he knew, or about all the women that he knew who were also artists? Look at the way he’s captured the woman’s dress, a cascade of dark fabric, in contrast to her pale top. The lace frames her neck like a delicate halo, contrasting with the strong horizontal of her dark skirt. The pieces she’s looking at seem to reflect her own life and creativity. Is she searching for something specific, or just enjoying the process of looking? The art world is like that, a constant conversation between artists across time. We’re all just riffing off each other, trying to make sense of the world in our own way. There's an ongoing dialogue, and Robbe has captured a quiet moment in that exchange.