Vrouw op ziekenbezoek 1887 - 1916

Curator: This ink drawing on paper, "Vrouw op ziekenbezoek" or "Woman Visiting the Sick," by Willem Pothast, was likely made between 1887 and 1916. Editor: It feels terribly somber, doesn’t it? All those lines creating such a contained space, but that contained space is a sickroom with children. You can almost smell the Vicks VapoRub. Curator: The technique employed really lends itself to this mood. The starkness of the ink highlights the material conditions: illness, the simple bed linens, and what must have been the expense of a fashionable visitor. Think about access to medical care during that period; class clearly defined these experiences. Editor: You’re right. Look at that woman's fur muff, though, like a tiny deceased animal being cradled in her arms! It speaks to the artist's almost obsessive detail of class divides but in this very intimate moment of perhaps charity. What do we suppose their stories are? Curator: It’s interesting to see how Pothast uses genre-painting elements to illustrate a broader social commentary, right down to the labor of care depicted in the drawing's lines. Ink was comparatively accessible, meaning more narrative possibilities to those who may otherwise have no medium. Editor: This could have easily fallen into mawkish territory, but it doesn’t. The scene feels almost voyeuristic, like a snapshot stolen of something painful and delicate. The perspective! I bet we have all experienced a moment of illness that recalls a similar narrative space... but the actual perspective in our daily lives would not be an illustration from Pothast! Curator: Absolutely. So much more than just illustration at work here... Editor: It leaves you contemplative, doesn't it?