Swiss Landscape 1860

Curator: Let's spend some time with Gerard Bilders' "Swiss Landscape," painted in 1860. You can find this work here at the Rijksmuseum, created using oil on canvas. Editor: First blush? Pure escapism! That light dappling through the trees makes you just want to plop down and join that shepherd and his goats. Curator: Absolutely. It is a classic genre scene, with its roots deep in Realism. I'm particularly struck by how Bilders captured the texture of everyday life, from the shepherd's humble attire to the way the goats lounge about, clearly unbothered by artistic scrutiny. There's something about that that’s quite interesting: a representation of labor transformed to be artistic matter. Editor: Right? You know, it makes me wonder about Bilders’ relationship to the landscape itself. Did he see it as a resource, something to be worked, or did he just fancy a break from the city and wanted to paint pretty scenes? I'm seeing more idyllic day than manual labor. That’s what's capturing me: it seems idealized and staged! Curator: Well, you are not wrong to call attention to that apparent ease. Bilders was invested in modernizing landscape painting. Looking closely at his technique and materials, you will find an attentiveness in depicting natural light—its effect on surfaces, the material conditions. This attention gives you some insight into landscape painting in the nineteenth century. How it shifts and begins incorporating an interest in natural observation and objective conditions. Editor: It's interesting, really, the dance between the romanticized idea of the pastoral and the reality of labour that surely underpinned it. Looking at those thick strokes of paint forming the trees, though—it all just evokes a feeling of tranquility. I would not mind being there at all, goats and all. It speaks to the artist’s connection with nature. What a pleasant image; quite calming and idyllic. Curator: It’s fascinating how our perspectives, framed by process and feelings, ultimately enrich our appreciation of a piece. Editor: Right. I guess even an old goat painting can take you someplace new!