Portret van een jongeman met de hand op de heup 1710 - 1772

Petrus Johannes van Reysschoot created this red chalk drawing, titled "Portrait of a Young Man with Hand on Hip," in the 18th-century Netherlands. The work's unfinished quality gives us insight into the artistic process of the time. Red chalk was a popular medium for preparatory sketches and studies because it was easy to work with and allowed for corrections. The drawing captures the sitter's pose and fashionable attire, but it also reveals the conventions of portraiture in the 1700s, where posture and dress communicated social status. Note how the young man’s confident stance reflects the ideals of masculinity and power prevalent in that era. To understand the drawing more fully, scholars consult period fashion plates, social histories, and artist’s manuals. Art is never created in a vacuum, and its meaning emerges from the complex interplay of social, cultural, and institutional forces.