Ein vom Rücken gesehener stehender Mann mit einem Stab in der Linken, den rechten Arm ausstreckend c. 1770 - 1774

Georg Melchior Kraus created this drawing of a standing man with chalk on paper, sometime in the late 18th century. Kraus was director of the Weimar Princely Free Drawing School during the height of the Enlightenment. The man is seen from the back, holding a walking stick, and gesturing outward. Rendered in shades of grey, the figure’s clothing suggests a person of status – a cape, hat, and carefully tailored trousers. The walking stick was another signifier of class, granting the user an air of authority. But what is most interesting is the man’s turned back, so that we, the viewers, cannot see his face. Kraus makes us consider the gaze and how direction can imply power. Does this man direct, lead, or simply point? Kraus invites us to reflect on the relationship between those who lead, those who follow, and the nuanced power dynamics in between.