Verhaal van de jongen Jantje, nr. 4 1862 - 1863

Pieter van Loon rendered this drawing in March of 1862, depicting a young man, presumably Jantje, awakening in bed. Notice his exaggerated yawn and the arm stretched high above his head—a posture that evokes the ancient gesture of supplication to the heavens. This reaching upward is a primal expression, a reaching for something beyond our grasp. We see echoes of this gesture in countless works—from depictions of Adam reaching for the hand of God, to ecstatic saints in Baroque paintings. This yearning, this awakening, is not merely physical but speaks to a deeper, subconscious longing. Consider the symbolism of awakening—the transition from the darkness of sleep to the light of consciousness. It’s a powerful metaphor for spiritual or intellectual enlightenment, a recurring theme throughout art history. From the Renaissance to Romanticism, the moment of awakening has been depicted as both a personal and universal experience, charged with potential and transformation.