Een pissende man 1639 - 1684

Editor: This pen drawing is titled "Een pissende man" – "A Pissing Man" – made between 1639 and 1684 by Aert van Waes. It's definitely… direct. There’s something humorous yet a bit unsettling about the scene. What are your thoughts on this piece? Curator: It’s compelling because it disrupts our expectations of 17th-century Dutch art. While the Golden Age is often associated with idealized portraits and still lifes, here we have a candid depiction of a very human act. How does this relate to Dutch genre paintings? Editor: It's unusual, especially because it so matter-of-factly portrays an ordinary scene, though it isn’t quite romantic or idealized. Curator: Exactly. By confronting the viewer with the unglamorous aspects of everyday life, van Waes challenges social norms and power structures of that time. How do you interpret the other figure, the seated person in the background? Editor: They almost look asleep, or perhaps passed out… Maybe hinting at the effects of drink or societal indifference? Curator: Precisely. It’s an explicit illustration of social stratification and gender disparities in Dutch society. Van Waes encourages us to question who is seen and who is ignored, who has agency and who is marginalized. It makes you think, doesn’t it? Editor: Definitely. I’m now considering how this image reflects a very particular male experience of the time and its relationship to contemporary discussions about representation and gender. Thanks for shedding light on this. Curator: Absolutely. It serves as a poignant reminder to see art as intertwined with political issues and historical circumstances, not as static works in sterile galleries.