Landschap met vee 1838 - 1863

Curator: Looking at this print from between 1838 and 1863, we see "Landschap met vee" by Jan Dam Steuerwald, held here at the Rijksmuseum. Steuerwald crafted a pastoral scene typical of its era. What’s your first impression? Editor: My gut reaction? A lazy afternoon. It feels serene, almost sleepy. The cows seem utterly unbothered by anything at all. The way the light falls feels like that perfect, hazy warmth you only get on certain summer days. It just oozes tranquility. Curator: It does, and this serenity, captured through the print medium, offered an accessible ideal for the rising urban middle class. Pastoral scenes became incredibly popular, acting as visual escapes from industrializing cities and all the new socio-economic realities people were experiencing. Editor: Interesting. A kind of rural fantasy? Because when I look at the individual elements, I see something more subtle going on. The composition feels deliberate; nothing seems accidental. Like the slightly overgrown patch in the foreground – it suggests that even this idyllic place has a touch of wildness, an unkept beauty. Is Steuerwald commenting on anything specific through that? Curator: Perhaps not commentary per se, but engagement with the aesthetic concepts circulating. Think about realism: Steuerwald, even while presenting this pastoral ideal, is grounding it in observation. That untamed patch adds a layer of authenticity. Artists during that period, after all, often saw representing nature truthfully as having a moral component. Editor: A moral component! That’s amazing. I'd be curious to see how audiences took this up. Curator: Its display at institutions like the Rijksmuseum speaks to the value later placed on images reflecting national identity and romanticized representations of land. And its lasting popularity even today shows its success at fulfilling those goals. Editor: I will certainly come away from this listening experience viewing “Landschap met vee” very differently now. That tension you highlighted between idyll and the grounded image gives the image much more dimension. Thanks for pointing this out to me! Curator: My pleasure. It's in understanding the intersection of art and cultural history, as well as personal reflection that an artwork such as Steuerwald's gains even richer value.