Gezicht op een straat 1836 - 1912

Isaac Weissenbruch made this street view print with etching in the 19th century. Weissenbruch was a Dutch painter associated with the Hague School. This artistic movement in the Netherlands was active roughly from 1860 to 1890. Hague School artists typically worked ‘en plein air’ – in the open air – and tended to use muted colour palettes to capture the atmosphere of a particular place. The movement was partly inspired by the French Barbizon School, which promoted a similar focus on landscape and rural life. While this print might seem to represent a neutral, objective view of the street, we must remember that the Hague School artists were making a conscious effort to represent the lives of ordinary people. This was a progressive move at a time when the art world was still dominated by historical and mythological scenes, and the painting of portraits of wealthy patrons. Weissenbruch and his contemporaries were critical of the art institutions of their time. By exploring archival sources such as exhibition catalogues, artists’ letters, and critical reviews, we can better understand the meaning of this image as something that is contingent on social and institutional context.