Rivierlandschap met molens 1848 - 1888

Anton Mauve sketched this river landscape with windmills using black chalk. Mauve painted during a time when the Netherlands was undergoing significant social and economic changes; industrialization was on the rise, yet the country retained a strong sense of its historical and cultural identity. This sketch, with its somber tones and focus on the traditional Dutch landscape, seems to reflect a yearning for a simpler, pre-industrial past. Windmills, like the ones depicted here, were not only functional structures but also potent symbols of Dutch resilience and ingenuity. It's interesting to consider how Mauve, as an artist of his time, navigated the tensions between tradition and modernity, and how his art might have served as a form of cultural preservation, reminding viewers of the values and landscapes that defined Dutch identity. You can almost feel the quiet solitude of the Dutch countryside.