Tekenaar 1756

This is Jean Baptiste Marie Pierre’s etching, Tekenaar, held at the Rijksmuseum. Pierre, who lived from 1713 to 1789, situated himself within a society undergoing significant cultural and political shifts. Here we see a young draftsman, casually posed, his gaze directed away as he leans against a block of stone. His dress suggests someone of the working class and in his hands he holds a drawing slate. Who is this young man, and what narratives of labor and artistic identity does Pierre explore through his depiction? During the Enlightenment, the status of the artist was changing, from craftsperson to intellectual. Pierre's choice to represent a young, working-class artist invites us to reflect on the intersections of class, artistic expression, and the evolving identity of the artist in 18th-century France. The very act of depicting a draftsman encourages reflection on the creative process, the act of seeing, and the social dimensions inherent in artistic practice.