Twee paar voor het lichaam gevouwen handen 1869 - 1925

Antoon Derkinderen made this pencil drawing of folded hands, sometime between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The sketch may be considered an unassuming study, but it resonates with wider social concerns in the Netherlands at that time. Derkinderen was part of a generation of artists who came of age during a period of rapid industrialization and social change. He, along with many of his contemporaries, believed that art could play a role in shaping society and promoting social justice. A drawing such as this would have been made in preparation for a painting, print or public mural. It reflects the artist's concern with the human figure as a vehicle for expressing emotion and conveying meaning. In considering the social conditions that shaped Derkinderen's artistic production, we might turn to archival sources such as exhibition catalogues, artists' letters, and contemporary social commentary to understand it better. This would help us to see how it served to challenge or reinforce the existing social norms of its time.