Landschap met toren met ooievaar op nest 1613 - 1695

Nicolas Perelle created this landscape with a tower and stork's nest as an etching sometime in the mid to late 17th century. Here we see the way Northern European artists of the period were turning away from the overtly religious and allegorical painting styles of the Renaissance. Instead, they focused on carefully observed scenes of daily life and the natural world. Perelle's landscape depicts a humble path leading past a village, with two figures walking. A ruined tower, topped with a stork's nest, looms over the village. The stork and the ruined tower are symbols of rebirth and the endurance of nature against the ravages of time and war. Perelle made this etching during a time of great change and conflict in Europe, especially France. By studying the social history of art, and referencing historical documents and cultural studies, we can better understand the significance of this work. Ultimately, we can understand the ways in which the artist engages with the ideas of his time.