Gezicht van de Dijk naar Pernis 1869

This pencil drawing of a landscape towards Pernis was made by Johannes Tavenraat in the 19th century. During this period, landscape art was not merely about representing nature, but about expressing national identity and cultural pride. Consider the scene before you. In the 19th century, the Netherlands was undergoing significant changes due to industrialization and urbanization, with the population nearly doubling between 1830 and 1880. Tavenraat’s choice to depict a rural, almost serene landscape can be understood as a commentary on these societal shifts. It’s a quiet statement about what is being lost. Here, Tavenraat captures the essence of the Dutch countryside. The landscape, with its flat fields and distant horizon, evokes a sense of calm but also perhaps a sense of the isolation that industrial progress leaves behind.