Rivierlandschap 1890

Heinrich Krabbé made this etching called Rivierlandschap in 1890. It pictures a landscape with a rowboat next to a house, with a church spire on the horizon. Krabbé was part of a generation of Dutch artists who took inspiration from the Barbizon School in France. Like them, he turned to the countryside for imagery, developing a style of realism that was less concerned with the heroic and sublime aspects of nature than with the everyday life of rural people. The image presents a scene of quiet industry, and perhaps also leisure. As an art historian, I am interested in the institutions that support this kind of art making. The Rijksmuseum was established in the late 19th century to reflect Dutch national identity. Krabbé's image of a calm rural landscape offered a vision of a tranquil nation, rooted in its countryside. We can learn more about the social values of his time by examining the art that was collected and exhibited in the national museum.