Bildnis einer älteren Dame nach rechts 

Editor: Here we have Otto Scholderer’s "Bildnis einer älteren Dame nach rechts," a portrait of an older woman. The medium looks like primarily pencil and chalk. I’m struck by the sheer volume of hatching used to render her clothes – it seems almost obsessive. What do you make of the way he’s worked with these simple materials? Curator: It’s compelling, isn't it? This drawing brings into focus the means of its own production. Look at how the labor is laid bare through the sheer density of those pencil strokes. The clothing isn't simply represented; it's built through a repetitive, almost industrial process. What does that level of detail signify, beyond mere representation? Editor: Maybe it emphasizes the materiality of her clothes, her social standing? Curator: Exactly. The lace collar, too, stands in stark contrast to the more roughly sketched areas. Consider the social context: who was commissioning portraits at this time, and what did such a depiction, prioritizing laborious detail, convey about both the sitter and the artist's approach to their craft? Think about the materials themselves – the ready availability of pencil and chalk versus, say, oil paints. Editor: So, it is perhaps an intentional choice of materials that speaks to the democratisation of art-making, using accessible resources to give us this picture? Curator: Precisely! It pushes us to think about the materials, the means of production, and what that means for Scholderer, the subject and, perhaps, even us as viewers today. The focus on the “how” opens a window onto the society of the time. What will you be thinking about differently after examining this drawing? Editor: Definitely how the process of making the artwork is just as important, if not more, than the finished image itself. Curator: A wonderful takeaway! I think it emphasizes the social dimensions that surround its making.