Boerenschuur en een hooistapel buiten Zwolle c. 1631 - 1633

This sketch, "Boerenschuur en een hooistapel buiten Zwolle," was created by Gerard ter Borch the Younger. Likely drafted in the mid-17th century, it portrays a rural scene just outside Zwolle, in the Netherlands. During the Dutch Golden Age, artists like Ter Borch often depicted everyday life, but these scenes were far from neutral. The focus on rural life, the labor of the fields, and the simple dignity of farm structures served to construct a very particular national identity. This idealization of the countryside also provided a quiet commentary on the burgeoning urban centers and the growing merchant class. By choosing this subject, Ter Borch engages with a vision of Dutch identity rooted in the land, in labor, and in a presumably simpler, more ‘authentic’ way of life. What do you feel when you view this image? Do you feel that sense of comfort that comes from a scene of rural stability?