Hurkende figuur in een pak met een kap 1822 - 1880

Reinier Craeyvanger sketched this stooping figure in a cloak and hood in the Netherlands sometime in the mid-19th century. At first glance, this drawing seems to simply depict a person in simple attire. But in reality, imagery like this does not exist in a vacuum. It is important to investigate the social conditions that shape its artistic production. For instance, whose image is being recorded here? The sitter's obscured face could refer to their social class or gender: perhaps they come from an underrepresented community. The austere style could also indicate a cultural movement rejecting decadence. By researching the social history of the Netherlands in the 1800s, as well as Craeyvanger's other drawings, we can better understand the politics of this imagery and the artist’s role in it. Art history reminds us that meaning is always contingent on social and institutional context.