Gezicht op Muiderberg en Naarden 1808

"Gezicht op Muiderberg en Naarden" is a drawing by Dedeke, capturing a landscape with watercolor and pen. The absence of date information invites us to reflect on how landscape art itself carries cultural weight. In Dedeke's rendering, nature appears harmonious and ordered, reflecting the values of a society that sought to control and cultivate its environment. Yet, who has access to this idyllic vision? The figures populating the landscape seem to be primarily European, suggesting a specific demographic enjoying this cultivated world. Does the even-handed depiction of this landscape challenge or perpetuate the power structures embedded within the pastoral tradition? The image, while seemingly benign, prompts us to consider the narratives of belonging and exclusion that landscapes can convey. It quietly asks who is invited to partake in the serenity it offers, and who is rendered invisible in its making.