Gezicht op bomen langs water 1613 - 1695

Nicolas Perelle created this print, “View of Trees Along the Water,” sometime in the 17th century. During this time, the Dutch were colonizing lands around the world, and the landscape print became a popular art form. However, in this print, the trees aren’t exactly towering, nor is the water particularly vast. It's a landscape, but almost feels like a portrait. Note how the trees create a screen, obscuring what might lie beyond. Does this screening evoke a sense of mystery or constraint? For many at the time, the landscape signified a dominion over nature, yet Perelle seems to ask: what does it mean to possess or control a landscape? What about the lives already rooted in it? This image offers a moment to reflect on landscapes, not just as a vista to be conquered, but as complex sites of history.