Heuvelachtig landschap met een watermolen 1577 - 1587

Marcus Gheeraerts' "Hilly landscape with a watermill" is an ink drawing reflecting 16th-century rural life and its reliance on natural resources. At first glance, the scene is pastoral. But it is not without its cultural context, painted as it was during a period of significant religious and political upheaval in the Low Countries, a time when land and resources were hotly contested. The watermill, prominently placed, represents not just a source of sustenance but also control over the environment. Consider how labor is represented here: who benefits from the mill's operation, and who toils in the fields? The identities of the people within the landscape prompt a deeper consideration of the socio-economic structures of the time. Gheeraerts, positioned within this society, offers a glimpse into the everyday, tinged with the awareness of the inherent power dynamics at play. The drawing invites us to reflect on our own relationship with the environment and the systems that govern its use.