Lezende man met gebroken been in een leunstoel 1921

This print by Piet van der Hem depicts a man with a broken leg, reclined in an armchair, engrossed in a book while smoking a pipe. The broken leg, prominently bandaged, takes center stage, drawing our attention to a state of enforced immobility. The act of reading itself is laden with symbolism; it’s a retreat into the self, a journey into the imagination. We see this motif echoing through time, from medieval illuminated manuscripts where scholars pore over texts, to Romantic paintings of solitary readers in nature. In each context, the book represents knowledge, escape, and contemplation. There's a psychological dimension here. The man's posture, relaxed yet confined, speaks to a universal human experience: finding solace in introspection amidst physical constraint. It’s a reminder that even in moments of stillness, the mind remains unbound, free to roam through the pages of a book. The image invites us to consider how we, too, find freedom within limitations, transforming adversity into an opportunity for inner exploration.