Landschap met boerderij en brug 1866 - 1910

Frans Hens made this landscape with farm and bridge using etching. We can see here the influence of the Hague School, the late 19th-century Dutch artistic movement. The Hague School artists typically depicted rural scenes with a strong emphasis on atmosphere and mood. This etching captures a sense of the everyday life of farmers during a time when the Industrial Revolution was starting to take hold in Continental Europe. Hens’ etching reflects a nostalgia for the countryside as urban centers grew and transformed Belgium. Artists and writers idealized rural life as an escape from industrialization. Hens was associated with the art group 'Als ik Kan' in Antwerp, which translates as 'If I Can'. Such affiliations remind us that artistic production occurs within institutions and artistic circles, and it emphasizes the social nature of artistic creation. To understand this work fully, we can consult primary sources such as exhibition catalogs and period reviews, in order to comprehend how it engaged with artistic debates in its time.