Mansfiguur, leunend op een stoel 1670 - 1685

Adriaen van Ostade made this drawing of a man leaning on a chair using pen and brown ink with a brush in grey ink. Van Ostade was part of a tradition of Dutch Golden Age artists that focused on scenes of everyday life, often of the lower classes. This drawing is a wonderful example of this interest, showing a man who is evidently not wealthy, leaning wearily on a chair. The Dutch Republic in the 17th century was a society undergoing rapid economic and social change, and this art reflected, and perhaps shaped, the values of the time. Was it a kind of social commentary? Was the artist trying to make a statement about the plight of the poor? Or was he simply documenting the world around him? These are the kinds of questions art historians ask. We delve into the social conditions of the time, looking at everything from economic data to personal letters, to understand the context in which art was made and consumed.