Struik en een man in een lange jas 1848 - 1888

Anton Mauve created this sketch, ‘Shrub and a Man in a Long Coat,’ with pen and brown ink, as well as brush and gray ink. It depicts a figure walking through what appears to be a barren landscape. Made in the Netherlands, it evokes the 19th-century art world's increasing focus on everyday life and the rural landscape. The sketch is spare, almost stark, which speaks to the social conditions of the time. Rapid industrialization caused a cultural longing for simpler times and a desire to represent the lives of ordinary people. Mauve, like other artists of the Hague School, was part of a larger movement that sought to capture the authentic experience of Dutch life, resisting the dominance of academic art institutions and their preference for historical or mythological subjects. Understanding such an artwork means looking beyond the aesthetic appeal and delving into the social and institutional forces that shaped its creation. Resources such as letters, exhibition reviews, and studies of art academies help us contextualize the work and reveal its engagement with contemporary social issues and artistic debates.