Staande Franse soldaat 1795

This drawing of a standing French soldier was made by August Christian Hauck, likely in the late 18th century. The drawing is created with graphite, or a similar material. The artist has rendered the figure with precision and delicacy. Look closely and you’ll see the attention given to the subject’s uniform and weaponry. The image reminds us that while the soldier may appear as an individual, he is also representative of a much larger, bureaucratized system. His clothing and tools are the products of mass manufacture, requiring complex economies of supply and demand. In this way, the drawing connects to wider social issues of labor, politics, and consumption. Ultimately, this artwork invites us to consider the relationship between the individual and the collective, the hand-made and the machine-made, challenging distinctions between fine art and the industrial system.