Man die een stok op zijn schouder draagt 1834 - 1903

This is a pencil drawing titled, "Man die een stok op zijn schouder draagt," by Johan Hendrik Weissenbruch, residing here at the Rijksmuseum. The piece, through its reliance on line, captures a figure in transit, evoking a sense of transient observation. The figure is defined by rapid, wiry strokes, that build volume and mass, with the darkest tones suggesting the weight of the man's coat and the texture of his trousers. The subject's form emerges from the negative space of the paper, engaging with the philosophical tension between presence and absence. The sketch destabilizes established meanings, inviting the viewer to contemplate the provisional nature of perception. Weissenbruch's piece challenges fixed meanings through its skeletal rendering and invites viewers to question the boundaries of representation. Through a semiotic lens, the walking man transcends the mere depiction of a person to a more profound engagement with the human condition.