Op de grond zittende vrouw 1859

Leopold Löwenstam created this etching, "Op de grond zittende vrouw," in 1889. Löwenstam was a printmaker who was born in London to German-Jewish parents, against a backdrop of evolving social and political landscapes in Europe. Consider the woman’s posture. She is seated alone, her gaze directed towards a distant horizon, her clasped hands suggesting a moment of contemplation or anticipation. What is she waiting for? Does her positioning, with her back turned, remove her agency? Historically, such depictions of women in art have been loaded with expectations around passivity and beauty. Löwenstam, however, seems to disrupt these traditional narratives. He offers a moment of introspection and resilience. The woman isn’t merely an object of observation; she becomes a subject with her own thoughts and inner life. The artwork reflects the tension between societal expectations and individual experiences during the late 19th century. It invites us to reflect on the quiet acts of resistance and self-discovery.