Bomen aan een waterkant 1846 - 1931

Marinus Heijl created this etching, "Trees on a Waterfront," sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. Produced in the Netherlands, this work enters into a history of landscape art, but it does so in a modern, self-conscious way. The tiny scale and the etching medium are at odds with the grand tradition of landscape painting, especially of the Dutch Golden Age. We might ask whether Heijl is taking a critical position on the art institutions of his time. Was he against the established art world? His choice of such a humble subject is a quiet gesture, but it speaks volumes about the changing values in art at the turn of the century. To understand Heijl's place in art history, we would want to know more about the artistic circles in which he moved. Perhaps archival research into exhibition records or artist biographies would shed light on his intentions and the reception of his work. Art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.