Stocky Man 1885

This drawing of a ‘Stocky Man’ was made by Vincent van Gogh at an unknown date with black chalk. What strikes me most are the hands, held open in a gesture of supplication or perhaps bewilderment. Throughout art history, open hands are a motif that recurs in sacred and secular contexts alike. Think of the orans position in Early Christian art, a posture of prayer and openness to the divine, or of Pontius Pilate washing his hands. But also consider the many images of madmen, from antiquity to Goya. Here, the gesture could signal a moment of uncertainty, a plea for understanding in the face of life's hardships. Van Gogh had a profound understanding of human suffering. The figure's sturdy stance and simple attire speak to the dignity of labor, yet the open hands hint at an inner turmoil, a universal struggle rendered with remarkable poignancy. The symbols evolve, but the human condition remains.