Walging (Disgust) - Pieter van den Berge

An allegorical figure study by Dutch artist Pieter van den Berge, capturing a moment of physical recoil through fluid ink lines and soft watercolour washes.

This work, titled Walging (Disgust), is a characteristic example of the allegorical figure studies produced by the Dutch artist Pieter van den Berge. Executed in pen and ink with delicate watercolour washes, the drawing captures a figure in a state of physical and emotional recoil. The artist employs a gestural approach, using fluid lines to define the posture of the subject, whose arms are extended in a defensive or repulsed motion. The drapery of the garment is rendered with light, translucent washes, allowing the paper tone to provide the base for the highlights.

Van den Berge was active during the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, a period when artists frequently explored the depiction of human passions and temperaments. The figure is positioned against a minimal background, focusing the viewer's attention entirely on the expression of the face and the tension within the body. The palette is restrained, relying on muted ochres, greys, and soft greens to convey the mood. The inscription at the top, 'Walging', confirms the thematic intent of the piece, aligning it with contemporary interests in moralising or descriptive allegories. The signature 'P v D Berg F' (fecit) appears at the bottom, identifying the artist's hand. This study provides insight into the technical methods of Dutch draughtsmen of the era, who often used such sketches to explore movement and character before incorporating them into larger compositions or print series. The work remains a direct, unadorned observation of human reaction, stripped of extraneous detail to maintain the clarity of the intended emotion.