Man met een afwijking in het bekken 1836 - 1912

Curator: Here we have Isaac Weissenbruch's pencil drawing, "Man with a Pelvic Abnormality," created sometime between 1836 and 1912. It’s currently held in the Rijksmuseum collection. Editor: Wow, there's an immediacy to this piece. A rawness. He isn’t idealized; his body tells a story. Almost like a fleeting, personal reflection rather than a formal portrait. Curator: Indeed. Drawings like this reveal much about artistic training during that period. Weissenbruch was working within the traditions of academic art and anatomical study. This image would probably be based on observing a live model. It captures the body realistically, but also within the social contexts of healthcare and representation of disability at the time. Editor: The slightly crude hatching lines… It makes the figure seem caught between exposure and concealment. The tiny floral image protecting his modesty makes me question his agency to stand nude like that. Maybe it's the slight discomfort in his posture that invites you in. Curator: I think you’ve identified the tension quite well. There’s an interplay between medical observation and perhaps a certain artistic empathy. You can clearly discern, on the left side of the drawing, that there appears to be a muscle abnormality along his hip or thigh, indicating atrophy. These visual records contributed to the development of medical knowledge while also reflecting prevailing attitudes towards the body and disability in society. Editor: I imagine sitting for an artist—all those lines carving you into existence... Maybe Weissenbruch was curious about what kind of marks the outside world could make on a person’s internal landscape. What this man might have had to overcome. There is strength here as well, that slight stance indicates he wants to face the world. Curator: Ultimately, artworks like Weissenbruch’s offer insights into the dialogue between art, medicine, and social norms, allowing us to reflect on evolving understandings of the human condition. Editor: A potent reminder that every line, every sketch, echoes untold narratives and asks us to look closely.