Rivierlandschap met molen en kerk bij maanlicht 1875 - 1913

Charles Mertens made this etching of a river landscape with a windmill and church by moonlight sometime between the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The image evokes the quintessential Dutch landscape, calling to mind the work of earlier artists like Rembrandt and Jacob van Ruisdael. Mertens’s etching speaks to the cultural construction of the Netherlands as a land defined by its waterways and windmills. In the late 19th century, the Dutch countryside was rapidly modernizing, and there was an increasing interest in preserving traditional ways of life. Artists like Mertens played a role in shaping a romanticized vision of the rural Netherlands. To better understand the image, one might consider researching the history of windmills in Dutch culture. This would include exploring prints, paintings, and literary sources from the period. Understanding the historical reception of landscape art will allow us to consider the social conditions that shaped its production.