Wooded Landscape with a Bridge 

Anthonie Waterloo created this etching of a wooded landscape with a bridge in the 17th century. Waterloo, as his name suggests, hailed from the Low Countries, a region undergoing significant transformation due to urbanization and land reclamation projects during his lifetime. This print invites us to consider how the representation of nature intersects with human activity and identity. Note the figures, dwarfed by the scale of the trees, who seem to be crossing the bridge – a symbol of transition. The overgrowth gives the sense of an uncultivated wilderness. Waterloo’s landscapes were popular among the rising merchant class of the Dutch Golden Age. They evoked a sense of national pride and connection to the land. This etching is evocative in its own right, but also a reminder of how landscapes reflect our complex relationship with the natural world, shaped by cultural, economic, and personal forces.