Drie draperiestudies van een staande man in lange mantel, van voren gezien 1869 - 1918

Antoon Derkinderen made this drapery study of a standing man with a long cloak in pen and black ink. Derkinderen was a Dutch artist who came of age during the Netherlands' cultural and economic decline. This work is one of multiple drapery studies of a standing man in a long cloak. These were likely made in preparation for the artist's commission to decorate the Beurs van Berlage. This was a new stock exchange building in Amsterdam, that included a decorative program featuring allegorical and historical scenes related to the city's commercial history. Looking at the visual codes, the historical associations can be made with the cultural context. The figure's pose and robe could be associated with religious iconography, possibly with Christ in particular. The art historian researches the cultural context for such associations. It can be said that the meaning of art is contingent on its social and institutional context.