Alter Mann in zerlumpter Tracht und mit breitem Hut, im Profil nach rechts c. 1765 - 1769

Georg Melchior Kraus created this drawing of an old man in ragged attire with a broad hat, in profile to the right, using pen and brown ink. Notice how the man’s form emerges from a network of lines, varying in pressure and direction, that define shape and texture. The composition emphasizes the figure’s silhouette against the blank background. Kraus uses hatching and cross-hatching to model the volumes of the man’s body and clothing, giving the figure a sense of depth and weight. The subject’s worn clothing and the texture of the paper create a visual language that invites interpretation. The drawing may challenge fixed social meanings by depicting a marginalized figure with empathy and detail. It invites us to consider how artistic representation engages with broader questions of human dignity, social class, and the act of seeing itself. Through its lines and forms, this artwork prompts a re-evaluation of aesthetic and ethical values.