Landscape with an Artist Sketching 

Herman van Swanevelt made this etching, Landscape with an Artist Sketching, in the middle of the 17th century. Here we see a classical landscape, a popular subject among artists in Italy and across Europe at this time. While seemingly an innocent representation of the natural world, the image creates meaning through its cultural references and historical associations. Landscape art became increasingly popular in the 17th century, when a growing art market meant artists were less dependent on commissions from the church and monarchy, allowing for new genres to emerge. But the idealised vision presented here, and the presence of the artist, also refers to the classical tradition, where the landscape provides a setting for human activity and the pursuit of knowledge. As art historians, we consider the social conditions that shape artistic production, using a range of historical sources to investigate the context in which an artwork was made. Understanding these conditions helps us to interpret the meaning of art as something contingent on social and institutional contexts.