A man making water

Rembrandt van Rijn painted this frank etching showing a peasant urinating against a wall. The subject was common in Dutch art, appearing in paintings by genre specialists and even in the backgrounds of Avercamp's winter landscapes.

Such scenes reflected Dutch realism and willingness to depict all aspects of daily life. Rembrandt treated the figure with the same technical skill he applied to biblical scenes, using bold lines and atmospheric shading. The work demonstrates the breadth of subjects considered acceptable in Golden Age Dutch art. It's in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.