Landschap met kasteel 1673 - 1695

Nicolas Perelle made this print of a 'Landscape with Castle' sometime in the second half of the 17th century. The print is an etching, a process that allowed artists to create and distribute images relatively easily. The castle in the image has a somewhat fantastical air about it, and the composition is arranged for visual impact and to appeal to those with a taste for the picturesque. France, at this time, was developing the concept of landscape as a genre. It’s likely this image played some part in establishing a taste for certain kinds of landscape. This aestheticization of the landscape went hand in hand with the development of tourism and the rise of a leisure class with the time and money to travel. To get a better sense of the image’s place in history, we might want to research its reception. Print rooms and libraries, such as the one that holds this print now, are important cultural institutions with their own histories and play a huge role in shaping artistic tastes.