Notities, deels doorgehaald 1834 - 1906

These partially crossed-out notes by Maria Vos offer an intimate glimpse into the mind of a 19th-century female artist navigating a male-dominated art world. Born in 1824, Vos lived in a time of strict social expectations for women. Yet, she defied convention by pursuing a career as a painter, specializing in still lifes and genre scenes. In her notes, one might sense a tension between her artistic ambitions and the societal constraints placed upon her. Her deliberate crossing out of certain passages might suggest a struggle with self-censorship, a common experience for women whose voices were often marginalized or dismissed. What thoughts did she deem unsuitable for the public eye, and what does this tell us about the negotiation of identity in the 19th century? These notes invite us to consider the complexities of Vos’s lived experience as a woman artist. What does it mean to create when your very existence is a form of resistance?