Zittende man met pet op 1883

This undated etching by the Dutch artist Gerard Jan Bos, entitled “Sitting Man with Cap On,” uses strong lines to depict a man in what appears to be a moment of contemplation. The lines are used to define the form of the sitter but also to create tone and shadow. The image speaks to the rise of Realism in the late nineteenth century, a movement that turned away from the idealised or heroic subjects of earlier art to focus on the everyday lives of ordinary people. Prints, like this etching, were a particularly effective means of disseminating Realist imagery among a wider public, beyond the traditional elite art world. What this etching tells us about Dutch society at the turn of the century, what it reveals about class, gender, or politics, is a matter for further study. We can look at exhibition histories, contemporary reviews, and the artist's biography to understand the social and institutional context of its creation. In doing so, we can reflect on the ways in which art both reflects and shapes our understanding of the world.