Zomerlandschap 1820 - 1860

This is Barend Cornelis Koekkoek’s “Summer Landscape”, an etching produced in the Netherlands during the 19th century. Koekkoek, who was a celebrated landscape painter, captured scenes that idealized the Dutch countryside. His work provided a sense of national pride as the Netherlands was undergoing significant socio-political changes, including the loss of its colonial empire and the rise of industrialization. This etching, with its carefully rendered trees and serene sky, reflects the 19th-century Romantic movement's longing for an unspoiled natural world. But it's important to note that this image of nature often excluded the working class and rural poor who lived and labored in these landscapes. This idyllic vision also overlooks the colonial exploitation that funded the wealth of the Dutch Golden Age. The beauty we see here is intertwined with the complex and often contradictory aspects of Dutch identity and history.