'The technical student' 1958

Location: Near the entrance to the Hoofdgebouw 

Wenckebach gets a classical training at the School of Applied Art in Haarlem and continues his study at the Drawing Academy in Vienna. There great emphasis is placed on the anatomy of the human body, and the operating theatre of the hospital is visited every week.

Initially Wenckebach (1895-1962) makes two-dimensional work: woodcuts, etchings, lithographs and paintings. However, in 1920 he destroys all his work and starts sculpting. First in the classical Greek and Roman tradition, until he develops a style of his own in the 1950s.

His sculptures always have the human figure as their subject. Instead of a faithful representation, though, such as the statue of Anton Philips near the railway station in Eindhoven, he gives his sculptures a certain mild irony and a rigid, stylized design. This is also true for 'The student', who leans on his diploma in a quasi-nonchalant pose. It is one of the last sculptures made by Wenckebach.