Luise Scholderer reading 

Editor: We're looking at "Luise Scholderer reading" by Otto Scholderer, a pencil drawing on paper currently held at the Städel Museum. It strikes me as such an intimate and quiet scene. What do you make of its composition? Curator: Indeed. Observe how the artist uses line, primarily. There’s a density of hatching around the figure's face and hands, which draws the viewer’s eye. Consider also how the lines themselves articulate the planes of the figure, especially her draped clothing, through varied density and direction. It creates volume and shadow with minimal tonal contrast, almost like a bas relief. The background remains much simpler. What effect does this contrast achieve? Editor: It almost isolates her, focusing our attention on her internal world. So the figure-ground relationship really emphasizes the act of reading as a private experience. Curator: Precisely. Notice how the composition emphasizes the direction of her gaze downward, towards the book. The implied lines guide our understanding. Her stillness also is essential. Without it, the piece loses the sense of reverie. Do you see other places in the image where this directional strategy comes to bear? Editor: Looking at the window behind her, those horizontal lines almost mirror the stillness in the rest of the work. Is that intentional, to make her seem stiller? Curator: I believe so. And this technique helps to create the psychological depth we observed initially. Note as well that the materiality of paper creates a texture as significant as the one penciled over it. It helps the scene to seem somehow soft, doesn't it? Editor: Definitely. This has been enlightening. I’ll pay closer attention to line work going forward! Curator: And I’ve been reminded of the crucial role of materiality and directional gaze. Thank you.