Liggende jongen 1828

This is 'Liggende jongen', or 'Reclining Boy', an etching made around 1828 by the Dutch artist Anthonie Willem Hendrik Nolthenius de Man. The artist here appears to be taking a rare opportunity to depict working-class life. Note how the boy is dressed in simple clothing and reclines in an open field. Consider the time in which this image was made. This was a period in which the Netherlands was undergoing significant social and economic change. The rise of industrialization and urbanization was leading to new forms of social inequality and poverty. How did the artist perceive these changes? Did he seek to critique these social inequalities or rather to reinforce dominant social norms? Understanding the artwork's place within the social and institutional context of 19th-century Dutch society can open up new possibilities for interpretation. Research into the artist's biography, contemporary social conditions, and the institutional history of Dutch art at this time, can help us gain a more nuanced understanding of this etching.