Meisje in een deuropening 1854 - 1914

Albert Neuhuys made this sketch of a girl in a doorway using graphite on paper. Neuhuys was part of the Hague School, a group of Dutch artists working in the late 19th century. The Hague School artists were interested in depicting everyday life, often focusing on the lives of peasants and working-class people. This drawing is a good example of that. The girl is shown in a simple, domestic setting, perhaps a farmhouse. It gives us a glimpse into the living conditions of ordinary people in the Netherlands at that time. Neuhuys and other artists of the Hague School turned away from the grand, historical paintings that dominated earlier art academies. Instead, they sought to portray the realities of their own time and place. This shift reflects broader social and political changes in the Netherlands, including the growth of democratic movements and a growing awareness of social inequality. By studying the artist, the artwork itself, and the society in which it was made, we can better understand its historical and cultural significance.