Vier voorstellingen met onderdelen van huizen c. 1848 - 1853

Jean Baptiste Louis Hubert made this drawing, Vier voorstellingen met onderdelen van huizen, with pen in gray ink. Here, Hubert presents us with fragments of buildings. We see a doorway, a roof and modest houses in a traditional style. The level of detail suggests an interest in the particulars of local architecture. There is a growing movement in Europe at this time to preserve local buildings as historical monuments. It is useful to think about the social conditions of artistic production in nineteenth-century Europe. In France and elsewhere, artists were increasingly employed by state institutions to inventory, document, and preserve cultural heritage. This drawing is the kind of preparatory study that would be used by architects and builders in understanding vernacular design. Understanding the social and institutional context of art is crucial. We can turn to archives and historical societies to find out more about the cultural value of this drawing.