Voorovergebukte man met uitgestrekte armen 1806 - 1831

Adrianus van der Koogh made this pencil drawing of a man bending over with outstretched arms at an unknown date. The drawing appears to be a study of a working-class man, bent over in labor. Van der Koogh probably made it in the Netherlands, sometime in the early 19th century. The Dutch Republic had only recently been replaced by the Kingdom of Holland, as old social hierarchies came under pressure from new, revolutionary ideas. The artist's close attention to the man's clothing, posture, and the fall of light across his form suggests a desire to represent this individual with a degree of realism and dignity. Perhaps, this was a conscious effort to elevate the status of the working class in art. The Rijksmuseum's records might tell us more about Van der Koogh's artistic training, and the social circles in which he moved, helping us to understand the cultural forces that shaped this drawing. Art is never made in a vacuum, but always in response to a particular time and place.