Studie van een man in zestiende eeuwse kostuum 1849 - 1917

Matthijs Maris made this sketch of a man in sixteenth-century costume with graphite on paper. Maris lived and worked in the Netherlands in the nineteenth century, and the Rijksmuseum, where this work now resides, was founded in 1800. The image’s meaning is created through references to the past. European artists in the nineteenth century looked back to previous eras, such as the sixteenth century, in order to revive traditions of craftsmanship. This academic style of art emphasized the importance of history, the artist’s creative skill, and its potential moral value. The art academy was an important institution in the nineteenth century and sought to codify artistic rules and techniques. We might consider this sketch as part of that academic tradition. As art historians, we look at drawings like this in relation to the social and institutional contexts in which they were made. In doing so, we understand art as something contingent on its moment in time.