Schuit met hooi op een rivier 1860 - 1921

Adolf le Comte made this sketch of a hay barge on a river with pencil. Le Comte was born in the mid-19th century, a period defined by industrial growth and urbanization. As more and more people moved to cities, there was a longing for rural life and the simplicity of nature. Artists often turned to landscapes, reflecting a collective desire to reconnect with the land. In this drawing, the hay barge seems to drift along. We might consider the labor of the people who harvested the hay and the boatmen who moved it. The artist captures the stillness and quietness of life on the water. We could see the hay barge not just as a means of transport, but as a symbol of the connection between work, nature, and community. It evokes the everyday experiences and rhythms of a time when the natural world was a more immediate presence in people’s lives.