Staande man met uitgestrekte arm is a drawing created by the master artist Rembrandt van Rijn between 1636 and 1641. This intimate study utilizes ink on prepared paper, a technique typical of the spontaneous and exploratory methods Rijn employed for his figure sketches during the height of the Dutch Golden Age. As a classification, this piece stands as a testament to the essential role draughtsmanship played in 17th-century artistic production in the Netherlands.
The drawing depicts a standing male figure whose arm is markedly extended, suggesting a preparatory sketch exploring movement, pose, or interaction within a larger, perhaps biblical or historical, narrative composition. The ambiguity of the figure’s identity underscores the functional utility of the work as a study of gesture and drapery, rather than a formal portrait. Rijn's masterful handling of the ink medium captures the essential elements of form and motion with economic lines, using rapid strokes and subtle washes to define volume and light.
This period was characterized by Rijn’s prolific experimentation with drawing techniques as a means to rapidly develop ideas before committing to etching plates or large-scale oil canvases. As a pivotal example of the era’s working methods, the original drawing is preserved within the distinguished collection of the Rijksmuseum. Due to its cultural significance and inclusion in museum archives, high-quality reproductions of this artwork frequently enter the public domain, making prints and visual documentation accessible for scholarly analysis worldwide.
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