Staande man met een pak op de rug, geleund tegen een verhoging 1763 - 1833

Jordanus Hoorn rendered this drawing, Staande man met een pak op de rug, geleund tegen een verhoging, with pen in gray ink. The delicate strokes and tonal range create a contemplative and somewhat melancholic mood. The figure is depicted leaning against a raised structure, his form bent slightly forward which suggests a moment of reflection. Hoorn uses line to define the contours of the man and the drapery of his coat, while the shading conveys volume and texture. Note how Hoorn uses a semiotic system of signs: the hat on his head, the package on his back, and the quality of the lines to construct meaning and create a narrative around the figure. The composition invites us to decode these signs. What is the man thinking? Where is he going? What's in the package? In closing, Hoorn destabilizes established meaning by inviting us to construct new meanings through our own interpretation of these signs.