Schrijvende vrouw, op de rug gezien 1892 - 1916

This is 'Schrijvende vrouw, op de rug gezien' (Woman Writing, Seen from the Back), made with brush and ink by Rik Wouters. Looking at this drawing, I think of the private world of the artist, especially one who depicts another artist. Wouters uses the contrast of black ink on a pale surface, to make a drawing that's all about gestures. The composition is sparse and simple, but each stroke of the brush seems to vibrate with the energy of the artist’s hand. I imagine Wouters watching his wife, also an artist, as she bends over her work. Perhaps she is writing a letter or sketching a landscape. Her concentration is so intense that she has forgotten his presence. I also think of other painter-couples like Elaine and Willem de Kooning, or Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock. They’re all in conversation with each other, pushing the boundaries of their chosen medium. Each artist offers a new way of seeing the world, embracing the ambiguities and uncertainties that make art so interesting.