Kunstenaar wandelt over straat after 1858

Carel Christiaan Antony Last created this image – 'Artist Walking Down the Street' - as a pencil drawing in the nineteenth century. At first glance, this seems a simple street scene. But let's consider the social position of the artist in Dutch society at that time. The figure of the artist walking down the street with his portfolio, his clothing somewhat eccentric, suggests the romantic idea of the artist as a creative individual set apart from the rest of society. Last seems to place him in contrast to the artist painting at his easel and trying to sell his work to the public. Last was working in the middle of the 19th century, the period in which art academies were becoming established in many European countries, teaching artists and setting standards for their work. The Rijksmuseum, where this drawing is held, was founded in 1800 but was not yet in its current building, indicating that institutions of art were still relatively new. The historian can investigate these social and institutional contexts by studying archival material relating to art academies and exhibition records. This helps us to see how artists were perceived, trained, and supported in Last's time.