Landschap met een brug over een bevroren beek 1713 - 1768

Johann Caspar Ulinger created this landscape with a bridge over a frozen stream sometime between 1703 and 1768. Ulinger, a Swiss artist, worked during a period of significant social and political change in Europe. This monochromatic etching depicts a serene winter scene, a landscape tradition which frequently idealizes nature, reflecting cultural values and perhaps obscuring the realities of rural life for many. What does it mean to be an outsider looking in, or perhaps more subtly, a landed gentry shaping an image of the world? The bridge, a dominant feature, symbolizes connection, yet the frozen stream suggests a barrier, a moment of pause or even isolation. There's a tension between what connects and what separates in this piece. Ulinger invites us to reflect on our relationship with the environment and how we navigate the spaces between connection and solitude.