Landscape with Three Men c. 1558 - 1559

Hanns Lautensack made this landscape with three men sometime in the mid-16th century. It presents an ideal vision of the German countryside, yet it is also a highly constructed image, full of cultural references. The print's composition is carefully arranged, with a high vantage point that surveys a wealth of topographic detail and architectural elements. Note the ways the towns, church spires, and castles assert the imprint of civilization onto the landscape. The artist was working at a time when the Holy Roman Empire was undergoing significant social and religious upheaval, and the genre of landscape painting was just emerging as a distinct category. Lautensack's work emphasizes the beauty and order of the world, possibly as a kind of cultural touchstone. Historians use a variety of resources - maps, religious texts, and economic data - to better understand this time and place. Studying such sources helps us to interpret how art reflects and shapes the values of its society.