Landschap met man met koe c. 1789 - 1859

Pieter de Goeje made this drawing, 'Landschap met man met koe', with pen in gray ink. De Goeje lived during a period of significant social and political upheaval, including the Napoleonic Wars and the subsequent reshaping of European boundaries. While ostensibly a pastoral scene, the artwork evokes the complex relationship between humans and the natural world. The image prompts consideration of the labor and lives intertwined with agricultural landscapes and the role of animals within agrarian economies. De Goeje’s landscape does not hide the realities of rural life; instead, it invites an appreciation of the delicate balance that existed, and continues to exist in many parts of the world, between human society and its environment. The muted tones and the seemingly quiet moment captured can be viewed as a mirror reflecting our own place within larger ecological and historical contexts.