Ontwerp voor wandschildering in de Beurs van Berlage: staande vrouw met banderol 1869 - 1925

Antoon Derkinderen made this design for a mural in the Beurs van Berlage in the Netherlands. It depicts a standing woman holding a banner, an allegorical figure intended to represent the ideals of the Amsterdam stock exchange. Made at the turn of the century, a time of rapid industrialization, artists were trying to define what role art should play in a modern society. Derkinderen was part of a generation that believed art should serve a social function. Looking back to the Italian Renaissance, Derkinderen drew inspiration from artists like Raphael in his use of clear, idealized forms, which had a purity of line and form. Here, the figure is simple, majestic, and monumental. Derkinderen's design speaks to the era's progressive ideals by presenting an image of female strength. What's interesting is how these visual codes draw on established cultural and artistic traditions to promote a vision of social progress. Further research into the archives of the Beurs van Berlage and the artist's other work helps us to more fully understand the painting in its own institutional and historical context.