Wasvrouwen en een herder aan de waterkant 1638 - 1658

Cornelis Visscher created this print of Washerwomen and a Shepherd by the Water in the mid-17th century using etching. Here, the use of light and shadow creates a sense of depth, drawing our eye from the foreground figures to the distant shepherdess. The composition is structured around a series of interconnected curves. See how the bodies of the washerwomen mirror the shapes of the animals, creating a visual echo that links human activity with the natural world. This interplay of light and form is not merely decorative. It serves to destabilize traditional notions of pastoral life. The scene isn't idealized. Instead, Visscher seems to emphasize the physicality and labor inherent in daily existence, contrasting the labouring women with the watchful shepherdess, thus creating a dialogue on labor and the female form. Note how the textures – from the rough bark of the trees to the soft fleece of the sheep – are rendered with meticulous detail. This attention to materiality transforms the print into a profound meditation on the relationship between humanity and nature, questioning our understanding of value and representation.