Visser met schepnet 1862 - 1910

Alphonse Stengelin created this print, "Visser met schepnet" or "Fisherman with a Scoop Net," using etching techniques. During Stengelin's time, rapid industrialization was transforming European society, and artists often turned to rural or working-class subjects. The artwork depicts a solitary fisherman, his net slung over his shoulder, a representation of labor but also a narrative about man and nature. It acknowledges the working class, while it also romanticizes it. The fisherman is depicted in a way that doesn't show the hardships of his labor. His posture and attire seem more dignified than burdened. It’s interesting to consider how this representation might interact with contemporary ideas about labor, class, and identity, and how the artist chose to portray the subject in a light that balances reality with idealization.