Zittende rokende man (zelfportret?) c. 1740 - 1801

This is Jacobus Buys's etching of a man smoking, likely a self-portrait. The detailed lines define forms, contrasting textures from foliage to brick. The figure's relaxed posture suggests a moment of calm reflection. Buys uses a structuralist approach, contrasting nature and architecture to explore the relationship between humanity and environment. The composition balances the organic with the geometric, emphasizing the cultural codes embedded in both natural and built environments. Semiotically, the pipe and the man's attire signify status and leisure, while the setting, caught between the garden and the brick building, hints at a negotiation of these values. Ultimately, Buys destabilizes fixed meanings by positioning his subject in a liminal space. He's both part of and separate from the constructed world. This work challenges viewers to consider how individual identity is mediated through cultural signs and environmental structures.