Stående mand med udbredte arme, på en sokkel. (Studie efter skulptur). (En helgen) 1671 - 1738

Hendrik Krock made this red chalk drawing of a standing man on a pedestal – a study of a sculpture – sometime between 1671 and 1738. The figure's pose, with arms outstretched and head tilted upwards, evokes religious ecstasy. The loose drapery and idealized form reference classical antiquity, a common visual code in European art for conveying authority and timelessness. Krock was working during the late Baroque period, a time when the arts were closely tied to both the church and the state, especially the Royal Danish Court. Artists were often commissioned to create works that reinforced existing power structures. By studying the composition of a sculpture, an artist like Krock gained insights into idealizing the human form as well as the prevailing aesthetic values of the time. The study of this work by art historians involves piecing together the cultural and institutional contexts in which the art was made to appreciate its meaning as something very specific to its time.