Man met hoge hoed en pijp in de mond 1864 - 1936

Jan van Essen made this drawing of a man with a top hat and pipe from graphite on paper. The material of graphite may seem simple, but it allows van Essen to skillfully render the texture and weight of the man's suit and hat. You can see a layering effect of graphite smudging, hatching, and creating linear elements. This shows a consciousness of process, and an awareness of the marks the material of graphite leaves behind. The choice of this relatively inexpensive material is also significant. Unlike oil paint, graphite is accessible, widely available, and requires minimal tools. The subject matter of this drawing also ties into wider social issues of class, labor, and consumption. The top hat and pipe were symbols of bourgeois identity in the late 19th and early 20th century. The amount of work involved in the drawing is minimal, but there are details that capture the image of the sitter. The image of a bourgeois man might typically be rendered with a much more luxurious material. Van Essen’s choice to use pencil challenges traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.