Staande man met baard, in profiel c. 1880 - 1887

Curator: Here we have a pencil and colored pencil sketch titled "Standing Man with Beard, in Profile," created by Louis Apol around 1880-1887. It's part of the Rijksmuseum's collection. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: I see him there. Distant, pensive...almost lost in the crosshatch of the page itself. He looks like a ghost from another century trying to get my attention. The man feels familiar to me somehow. I almost feel like he could step off the page at any minute. Curator: It’s a classic portrait of the period, capturing the rise of the bourgeoise and the emerging social class. Apol was well known for winter landscapes, the representation of common subjects, and a dedication to realism. But this seems like a quick preliminary sketch; It provides us with some hints. Editor: The figure stands with its hands in its pockets. He gives off this aura of quiet authority, a grounded strength. It also makes me wonder where he’s going. Curator: The work could reflect the artistic environment of the time. In those days the focus shifted to everyday life, and artistic expressions captured social nuances and identities, like a desire to highlight this man. Editor: Or it could be simply a snapshot of a passerby who intrigued the artist! Don't we all do that? I wonder how conscious Apol was about that societal portrait you’re painting, and if he was also, on another level, struck by his pure, human ordinariness, which is why he felt that urge to capture his form and the essence of that moment with a quick hand movement. Curator: That's a valid point! Whether it was intentional or unconscious, it is now perceived from our contemporary perspective. Artists and artwork are almost always destined to fulfill such double duty. But in all events, it offers us an interesting window into a very specific slice of the Dutch population. Editor: Yes, but even more: human psychology and spirit that goes far beyond a location, culture, or specific timeframe! To me, the value lies here: It’s not just art replicating reality but capturing emotion! It also transcends time and connects through shared human experiences. Curator: True, a study of the individual but simultaneously a glimpse into the soul. Well said! Editor: Well, it looks like it’s time to disappear like our man into the Rijksmuseum ether.