A Waterfall between Rocky Cliffs 

Jonas Umbach created this image of a waterfall between rocky cliffs in pen and black ink sometime in the 17th century. Umbach was working in Germany at a time when landscape art was increasingly popular. Before, landscape mostly served as a backdrop to human activity. In the 17th century however, we see greater interest in representing nature for its own sake. This is related to a broader cultural interest in scientific observation and documentation. As people began to believe that nature could be mastered through science, it became more interesting to view the natural world as an ordered system. Yet there is also a romantic aspect to this drawing. It is not simply a scientific document, it also conveys an emotional reaction to the sublimity of nature. To understand Umbach's work more fully, we might research the aesthetic and scientific trends of the time, exploring similar images and texts. This helps us understand the complex and changing role of art in society.