Hoofd van een omlaag kijkende bebaarde oude man 1897

Auguste Danse created this head of a bearded old man, looking downwards, sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century, using etching. In nineteenth-century Europe, academies of art reinforced the idea of a canon of ideal beauty, often drawn from classical antiquity. But by this time, many artists began to be more interested in observed reality than idealization. This etching offers a glimpse into that shift in sensibility. The artist has focused on the wrinkles in the old man's brow and the texture of his beard, using a close attention to detail to create a compelling, sympathetic image of old age. We can only guess at the social and cultural forces that shaped this image. Perhaps Danse was influenced by the rise of social realism in literature and art. Or he may have been interested in the emerging field of psychology and its focus on the inner lives of individuals. Art historians use sources like letters, exhibition reviews, and other contextual documents to better understand the social conditions that shape the making of art.