Ontwerp voor wandschildering in de Beurs van Berlage: oude man met baard en staf, staande naar rechts 1869 - 1925

This is Antoon Derkinderen's pencil drawing, "Ontwerp voor wandschildering in de Beurs van Berlage: oude man met baard en staf, staande naar rechts." The composition is immediately striking: a vertical rectangle tightly frames the figure of an old man. Note how the artist uses spare, almost tentative lines to construct the figure. The man's posture—one hand on his head, the other gripping a staff—conveys a sense of weariness or contemplation. The drawing’s power lies in this tension between form and content. The figure's placement within the frame, and the simplicity of the lines, imbues the figure with a monumental quality. It also opens up a space for interpretation: is he a prophet, a wanderer, or a symbol of human resilience? Ultimately, Derkinderen’s drawing transcends its immediate subject matter to function as a powerful meditation on existence. The drawing prompts us to consider the symbolic potential inherent within minimalist forms.