Zittende vrouw bekijkt een prent of tekening, voor haar een prentstandaard 1879 - 1927

This etching by Loys Delteil shows a woman sitting and looking intently at another print. The whole image is built from delicate marks and textures, hatching, cross-hatching, and the pure tone of the paper creating form and space. I wonder what it was like for Delteil to make this? Perhaps he felt a kinship to the woman, who is after all, looking at a work of art much like he is making one. The print she holds is a mystery to us, but the very act of looking, contemplating, perhaps even judging, is what the artist captures here. The slight tilt of her head, the way she holds the paper, all suggest deep engagement. Delteil has so beautifully rendered the fall of light and shadow, particularly around her face and dress, which suggests both a sense of intimacy and a shared artistic heritage. As artists, we all borrow and steal from one another, but in a good way. What do you think?