Two Figures near a Small Stone Bridge 

Herman van Swanevelt made this etching in the first half of the seventeenth century, a time when Dutch artists like Swanevelt were developing new ways to depict landscape. Notice how the composition is arranged to draw your eye into the distance. But also note that the print is framed within an oval, like a collector’s gem. The figures are dressed in classical garb, which lends a sense of romance and timelessness. We can assume that Swanevelt spent time in Italy: this idyllic scene looks like the Roman Campagna, where he lived for a time. We might ask, what exactly were Dutch artists doing painting Italian landscapes? By the seventeenth century, landscape painting had become something of an industry. But its growth also speaks to the changing social status of art and the institutions that supported it. A print like this, reproduced and collected, was a commodity as much as it was a work of art. By looking at Swanevelt's biography and the history of landscape printmaking we can better understand the social and economic context for this image.