Landschap met ruïne en herders 1762 - 1829

Jean Louis Demarne created this etching titled "Landschap met ruïne en herders" which translates to "Landscape with ruin and shepherds". Demarne produced this landscape during a period of significant social change, amidst the backdrop of the French Revolution. The presence of ruins in pastoral scenes was a common artistic trope in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Ruins often symbolized the transience of human endeavors. Consider the role of shepherds. Here they are presented as figures embedded in an idealized rural life. It’s worth considering how such romanticized portrayals of rural life align or conflict with the socio-economic realities experienced by the working class. The etching invites us to reflect on our relationship with the land, nature, and the labor that sustains us.