Jager met pijp in zijn mond 1809 - 1859

Pieter de Goeje made this drawing, titled "Hunter with pipe in his mouth", during the nineteenth century. Notice the visual arrangement of the subject in relation to space. The stark, central composition is striking. The hunter occupies a disproportionate amount of space, casting him as a monumental figure. In contrast, the landscape is reduced to a mere sketch, almost an afterthought to the hunter's imposing presence. De Goeje has used line and tonal contrast to emphasize the hunter's physical form. The lines are precise and measured. The hunter's rigid posture and the sharp lines of his weaponry create an image of control and purpose. In this semiotic system, the pipe held firmly in his mouth could be seen as a symbol of leisurely dominance, further reinforcing the hunter's self-assuredness within his domain. The drawing offers a potent illustration of how form and structure can be used to suggest ideas of power, control, and the self.