Luitspeler 1740 - 1774

Pieter Anthony Wakkerdak created this print, "Luitspeler," sometime between 1729 and 1774, using an etching technique. Wakkerdak’s artistic milieu was shaped by the Dutch Golden Age’s legacy, even as it waned into the 18th century. This etching depicts a lute player, an archetypal figure that carries both cultural and personal implications. In Wakkerdak’s time, music and art were increasingly accessible to the middle class, suggesting a shift in cultural values. There’s a poignant tension in the image: the musician, possibly a self-portrait of the artist, caught in a moment of introspection. Does Wakkerdak offer us more than just an image of a musician? Perhaps he reflects on his own role as an artist in a society undergoing transformation, wrestling with the complexities of artistic expression in his time. Wakkerdak invites us to consider the intersection of personal identity, artistic endeavor, and shifting societal values.