Forest Scene with Tree in Foreground 1620 - 1699

Jacques d'Artois created this drawing of a forest scene with ink on paper. In seventeenth-century Flanders, the northern part of present-day Belgium, artists like d'Artois found a ready market for landscapes. As the Catholic church lost its grip on artistic patronage, wealthy merchants filled the void. They saw the countryside as a source of national pride and personal identity. D'Artois specialized in woodland scenes; he collaborated with figure painters such as David Teniers, whose small characters populated d’Artois’ landscapes. This drawing is striking in its own right as a display of skill and a study of nature. Art historians consult sources such as guild records, account books, and biographical dictionaries to piece together the lives and social contexts of artists like d'Artois. This drawing is an artifact of a society in transition, where new forms of patronage gave artists greater freedom to explore secular subjects.