Boomrijk landschap met veedrijver 1741 - 1803

Cornelis Brouwer made this pen and brown ink drawing, showing a lush landscape with a cattle drover, in the late 18th century. Brouwer was a skilled draughtsman, and here he's used the pen with precision to capture a pastoral scene. The relatively simple materials belie the complexity of the image. Look at the hatching and cross-hatching he employs to create depth and shadow. The way he's rendered the trees, for instance, is quite sophisticated. But it is important to remember the social context of this image. Land ownership was a fraught issue in the 18th century. Here, Brouwer presents an idealized view of the countryside, yet this overlooks the harsh realities of rural life. The drover, for example, represents the labor needed to make this landscape productive, but he's merely a small figure in the distance, and a component in the view. Paying attention to materials, making, and social context allows a deeper, and ultimately more profound, engagement with this type of artwork.