Uitzicht met knoestige boom after 1635

This is an etching of a gnarled tree by Frederick Bloemaert, made in the Netherlands in the 17th century. Bloemaert belonged to a generation of Dutch and Flemish artists who specialized in landscape prints, a medium whose popularity was on the rise. What we see here is a scene of leisure: figures resting beneath the shade of a tree. In earlier centuries, landscape was generally considered a backdrop for more important narrative action. Now, it was becoming an independent subject. The rise of landscape parallels the rise of a new merchant class in the Netherlands, whose wealth and social mobility depended on maritime trade. Artists like Bloemaert are producing images for a new art market, one where the pleasures of the natural world are available for private contemplation. To fully understand this image, we need to consult inventories of private collections. We must look at the print market. What kind of value was assigned to images of the countryside? Understanding the institutions through which art is made, bought, and sold helps us better appreciate the social life of pictures.