Onderdeel van het menselijk lichaam met een afwijking 1836 - 1912

Isaac Weissenbruch made this drawing of a human body part with an abnormality in the 19th century, using pen and ink. The composition is strikingly simple: two adjacent organic tubular forms are placed vertically on a rectangular plane of paper. The artist uses linear perspective and shading to create an illusion of three-dimensionality. The use of hatching and cross-hatching gives the organ texture. This technique serves not only to describe the form but also to highlight the anomaly as the converging lines draw the viewer's eye. This is further emphasised by the stark emptiness that surrounds it. Weissenbruch challenges our conventional understanding of beauty by focusing on a flawed specimen. The image prompts us to consider how we assign meaning to the body and what it means to represent disease. This small-scale drawing invites us to pause and reconsider our perceptions of the human form.