Menselijk onderbeen met een breuk in het bot 1836 - 1912

This small drawing of a human lower leg with a bone fracture was made by Isaac Weissenbruch. The almost monochromatic use of ink emphasizes form and structure over color. The leg, depicted in profile, commands the composition, its shape meticulously outlined with fine, precise lines. Weissenbruch’s approach here is reminiscent of academic anatomical studies, yet the starkness of the representation—the exposed fracture—introduces a tension between scientific observation and the body's vulnerability. Note how the dashed lines create an outline of the leg, focusing our attention on the contours of the limb. Weissenbruch destabilizes the conventional depiction of the human form by revealing its internal structure, in turn prompting us to consider the relationship between exterior and interior. The drawing, therefore, exists not just as an anatomical study but as a meditation on mortality and the fragility of existence.