Bergachtig landschap met drie koeien in het water 1836 - 1891

This is 'Bergachtig landschap met drie koeien in het water,' or 'Mountainous Landscape with Three Cows in the Water', an undated pencil drawing by Josefus Gerardus Hans. Hans was working in the Netherlands at a time when the country was reckoning with its colonial past and its place in a rapidly industrializing world. Here, we see a romanticized vision of rural life; a tranquil scene that idealizes nature and agriculture. Note the three cows, central to the composition, passively drinking water. This representation suggests a harmonious relationship between humans, animals, and the land—a stark contrast to the realities of labor and land use that defined much of the 19th century. It invites us to reflect on whose stories are being told and whose are being left out. What does it mean to create idyllic images during times of social and economic upheaval? How might our understanding of landscape art change if we consider the perspectives of those whose labor shaped the land?