Gezicht op de stad Uerdingen, gelegen aan de Rijn 1739

Jan de Beijer rendered this tranquil wash drawing of Uerdingen, a town along the Rhine, sometime in the 18th century. De Beijer’s detailed landscapes were popular among the wealthy merchant class of the Dutch Republic. These landscapes evoke a sense of pride and belonging tied to the land. Yet, there's a subtle tension in these images. The rise of a merchant class was reshaping Dutch society, challenging the old aristocratic order. Looking closely, we see the figures of the local people. Their lives and labors are essential to the landscape, but their stories are often untold. What were their experiences of this changing world? De Beijer offers us a serene, almost idealized view, but we are left to consider the complexities of the human experience within it. This drawing, while seemingly straightforward, invites us to reflect on the intersections of class, labor, and identity in the Dutch landscape.