Een krabber 1868 - 1892

Anthon van Rappard created this watercolor painting, Een krabber, depicting a worker in what appears to be a tannery, at an unknown date. Rappard was a socially conscious artist in the Netherlands during a time of rapid industrialization. We can see this in the painting's subject matter: a working-class man engaged in manual labor. The dark and muted palette reinforces the griminess and hardship of the worker's life. Rappard, who came from an upper-class background, often focused on the lives of laborers. It reveals his interest in social realism, a movement that sought to depict the lives of ordinary people and critique social inequalities. To better understand Rappard's motivations, one could research the social conditions in the Netherlands at the time, explore writings about social realism, and delve into Rappard's personal correspondence. All these efforts could reveal the intricate layers of meaning embedded in this image.