Bedelende man met hoed en stok 1805 - 1871

This small drawing at the Rijksmuseum is made by Jacob Plügger. With tight hatching and cross-hatching, he has built up the texture, tone, and form of a Begging Man with Hat and Stick. The figure is enclosed by a borderline, so we can focus entirely on the arrangement of the elements within the space. Plügger used the materiality of hatching and cross-hatching to build up the image, making it highly articulated. He captures the textural qualities and ruggedness of the beggar's dress with his confident mark-making. The ground plane tilts up, which pushes the figure into the foreground. The figure is carefully rendered in a relatively high-key tone, making it easy to identify the man from the background. Plügger seems to create a semiotic dialogue where each line signifies not just form but also a commentary on the state of poverty. As we engage with this work, we become part of a continuing act of interpretation.