Seated Woman 1885

This is Vincent van Gogh’s drawing, Seated Woman, found here at the Van Gogh Museum, in Amsterdam. Van Gogh renders this figure with focused hatching, or closely placed parallel lines, that build up the figure’s form. The subject’s features are presented with sensitivity. The lines used to depict the face are softer compared to the more assertive strokes defining the clothes. The play of light across the subject is achieved through variations in line density, which provides a sense of volume and depth, particularly around the face and hands. Her hands are clasped in a pose that suggests both resignation and quiet strength. The structural elements of the drawing reveal a dialogue between presence and absence. The figure is firmly grounded on the page through the density of the line work, yet the unfinished quality around the edges leaves the form open-ended, inviting the viewer to complete the image, so to speak. It’s this interplay between the defined and undefined that invites ongoing re-interpretation.