Naaiwerk 

Editor: This is “Naaiwerk,” a pencil and graphite drawing, likely a sketch, by James Ensor. There isn’t a confirmed date. What strikes me is the quiet intimacy of the piece. What's your take? Curator: The drawing captures a moment of domestic labor, yes, but let’s think about the context of that labor, historically. Who is doing the sewing? The near absence of details, the lack of identifying characteristics, reduces this individual to labor. Is that a critique of the bourgeoisie and the expectations placed on women, particularly regarding domestic duties in that era? Editor: So you're saying that Ensor, consciously or unconsciously, might be making a statement about women's roles and expectations? Curator: Absolutely. The sketch itself, the unfinished nature, feels like a challenge to traditional portraiture and its focus on the individual. Sewing, in its repetitive nature, can also be viewed as a metaphor for the constraints placed upon women's creativity and freedom. The hands, though active, appear almost trapped. Does this read as oppression or dedication, or a mix of both? Editor: I never would have considered the sewing as representative of anything beyond, well, sewing. Thinking about the context of gender roles makes it resonate differently. Curator: Exactly. Consider also how economic class intersects with gender. Access to different types of work, agency to control your life, etcetera... are some good questions to consider with Ensor's study. Editor: This has given me a new way to consider art, not just in terms of aesthetics but also regarding social and historical narratives. Curator: Precisely. Art, at its most profound, opens these dialogues, connecting us to the past and empowering us to critically examine the present.