De jood Shylock, lopend door de straten 1865 - 1930

Jac van Looij, working in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, created this ink drawing titled "De jood Shylock, lopend door de straten," which translates to "The Jew Shylock, walking through the streets". Van Looij’s sketch offers a glimpse into the cultural landscape of the Netherlands, one influenced by the dramatic and literary traditions of Europe. Shylock, the Jewish moneylender from Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice," is a character laden with centuries of antisemitic tropes and stereotypes. Here, Van Looij captures Shylock in motion, his posture and garb marking him as an outsider. The emotional impact of the sketch resides in its ability to evoke the complex history of Jewish representation in art and literature. This drawing asks us to reflect on how cultural narratives shape perceptions and perpetuate stereotypes and reminds us of the importance of critically examining the stories we tell and the images we create.