Loper 1 1923 - 1925

Saar de Swart created this bronze sculpture called Loper 1. It depicts a man and a child. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there was a rise of social realism. Artists aimed to depict everyday life, often focusing on the working class and the poor. Institutional changes in the art world, such as the rise of public museums and art education, made art more accessible to a wider audience and encouraged artists to engage with social issues. This sculpture's figures remind us of the importance of family ties. To understand this artwork, we might research the role of family in Dutch society during the artist’s lifetime, looking into statistical surveys and newspaper reports about economic and social change. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.