Ein alter Mann und zwei Frauen bei Fässern und Säcken stehend in einer Unterhaltung c. 1771 - 1772

Georg Melchior Kraus made this pen and brown ink drawing of three figures among sacks and barrels. The clothing of the figures suggests a rural setting, perhaps a market or storage area. In eighteenth-century Europe, such scenes held social and economic significance. Economic activity was shifting, and the labor and trade of ordinary people became subjects of interest. What were the prevailing social and economic structures that influenced artistic production at this time? Was Kraus commenting on the social structures of his time, or perhaps even critiquing the institutions of art? To answer these questions, we might explore how the artist depicted this subject, or compare it with depictions of the same subject by other artists. In our research, we could consider historical documents or scholarly interpretations to understand the piece better. Art is contingent on social and institutional context, and we need the tools of the historian to help us understand its meaning.