Rear view of a writing man with a hat 1866

Carl Bloch produced this etching, "Rear view of a writing man with a hat," sometime in the mid to late 19th century. It encapsulates several key ideas about the social role of the artist at that time. The ‘man of letters’ shown here represented a figure of increasing importance during this period. Bloch seems to be commenting on their position, depicting them from behind and slightly slumped, perhaps suggesting the pressures and demands placed upon those in the writing profession. Made in Denmark, a small country with a relatively weak monarchy, Bloch's image perhaps speaks to wider European trends, in which writers and intellectuals were gradually replacing aristocrats in the public sphere. Researching the context of Danish intellectual life at the time may give us more clues to the subject’s identity. By exploring such resources, we can reflect on the social conditions that shape artistic production, and how art comments on the social structures of its own time.