Kaasmarkt van Alkmaar

Charley Toorop used expressive strokes to depict two professional cheese carriers taking their goods to market. The men sat for her in her studio. Their veined hands and characteristic faces are painted in thick layers of paint and almost appear to be carved, as does their clothing. Toorop has a very distinctive way of depicting fabric. The angular, contrasting shadows of the folds in the material almost appear to lie on top of the white of their smocks, creating a rhythmic, abstract pattern. Toorop used touches of white to give the cheeses and the men’s hats a realistic gleam and a sense of volume. In the background, Toorop painted – on a greatly reduced scale – the cheese market and the weighhouse (Waaggebouw), thereby creating an effect of depth that reinforces the expressive power of the work.