Woman Reading 

Editor: This is James Ensor's pencil drawing, "Woman Reading." It’s striking how delicate the lines are, creating a sense of intimacy. What strikes you most about the artwork? Curator: As a materialist, I'm immediately drawn to the visible process and the labor involved in this piece. Ensor’s choice of pencil, a readily available and inexpensive medium, speaks volumes about the democratization of art production. Notice how the varying pressure on the pencil creates depth and shadow. What do you think this suggests about Ensor’s engagement with the everyday? Editor: It feels like he’s capturing a fleeting moment, making something ordinary into art. How does that relate to the social context? Curator: Exactly! The act of reading, and the material used to depict it, is important to consider. Who has access to books, literacy, art materials, and leisure? Ensor uses these humble materials and accessible subjects to engage with the labor and life of middle-class women. Consider also, how the sketch could have been produced by a machine if it had been mass printed using lithography, an increasingly industrialized way to produce imagery in Ensor’s time. The mark making highlights the difference. Do you agree? Editor: That makes so much sense. Seeing it as a statement about labor and access changes everything for me. Thanks! Curator: Indeed, it is the attention to these factors that allows us to critically understand Ensor's "Woman Reading."