Berglandschap met huizen op een rots 1836 - 1838

This is Louis-Julien Jacottet’s lithograph of a mountain landscape with houses on a rock. With the rise of Romanticism in the 19th century, the Western world became more interested in depicting nature in art. Jacottet shows us not just the raw, untamed beauty of the natural world, but also how humans have built their lives within it. Look at how the buildings seem to grow directly out of the rock, blurring the line between the natural and the built environment. What does it mean to make a home in such a place? Is it a testament to human resilience, or a statement about our relationship with the earth? Consider how this image might have resonated with viewers at the time. Was it an escape into an idealized past, or a reflection on the changing relationship between people and their environment in an era of industrialization? Think about the stories this landscape holds, and how it invites us to reflect on our own place in the world.