An altem Gemäuer steht links ein Hirte mit seinem Hund, umgeben von verschiedenem Vieh 

Cornelis van Noorde made this pen and brown ink drawing of a shepherd and his livestock in the late 18th century. In this period, idyllic pastoral scenes were very popular. Although seemingly simple, these images were loaded with cultural meaning. They tapped into a growing sense of national identity and celebrated the virtues of rural life, sometimes in contrast to urban corruption. Institutions like art academies played a key role in promoting this type of imagery. However, they also tended to reinforce social hierarchies by idealizing the lives of ordinary people and often neglecting the harsh realities of rural poverty. Analyzing works like these requires us to delve into the visual culture of the time, consult period writings about art, and investigate the role of institutions in shaping artistic taste. By doing so, we can better understand how art both reflected and shaped the social landscape of its time.