Arbeider 1889 - 1899

Jan de Waardt made this drawing, Arbeider, which simply means worker, with graphite. The figure is clearly poor and tired, set against a dark background of foreboding trees, but what makes this more than just a study of a dispossessed man? What kind of statement is de Waardt trying to make about labour? De Waardt worked in the Netherlands during a time of great industrial expansion and social change. To understand this image fully we can ask, what was the role of the artist in this rapidly changing world? Was it to document the changes or to suggest alternatives? Was it to reinforce or critique the establishment? To answer these questions, a social historian can look at the writings of contemporary critics, at membership records of artists' societies, and at newspaper reports of political events. Only then can the role of art as a voice in society become clear.