Studies van huizen in de Vinkenbuurt, Amsterdam 1886

Jan Hanau made this watercolor sketch of houses in the Vinkenbuurt neighborhood of Amsterdam. Without a precise date, we might consider it in the context of turn-of-the-century social changes. The Vinkenbuurt was a working-class area, and Hanau's choice to depict it reflects a growing interest in the lives of ordinary people. We see that in art, literature and social reform movements of the time. The sketch-like quality could be understood as a modern approach, rejecting the polish of academic painting in favor of a more direct and honest portrayal. It invites us to look at the architecture and consider the social conditions of its inhabitants. To understand Hanau's intentions, we can turn to period sources: urban planning documents, sociological studies of working-class life, and exhibition reviews. These tell us about the changing role of the artist in society and about how the visual arts were used both to critique and to celebrate modernity. In this way the apparent simplicity of this watercolour opens up to deeper meanings.