Op een stok leunende oude vrouw in een deuropening before 1909

Mary Hector Rupert Cantineau made this etching of an old woman leaning on a stick somewhere around 1900, give or take. Can you imagine her, bent over her etching plate, scraping away at the metal? You know, it's kind of a slow dance, the way an image comes into being. The etching is all about lines, thin and thick, making shadows and shapes. I bet Cantineau was thinking about Rembrandt, the way he made old people look so real and full of life, even when they were tired. The woman's face is hidden, but you can see the weight of her years in the way she leans on that stick. The door behind her is dark, maybe life is like that for her, a bit shadowy. But there's also a quiet strength. You get the feeling she’s seen a lot, and she’s still standing. That’s what good art does, right? It shows you something about being human.