Landschap met een herder 1788 - 1811

Dirk van der Toorn created this landscape with a shepherd using etching techniques during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a time when the Dutch art world was navigating the currents of nationalism and romanticism. At first glance, the print seems to echo conventional pastoral themes with its serene depiction of animals, a shepherd, and a sprawling landscape. But look closer. There's a tension embedded here, a subtle negotiation between idealized nature and the socio-economic realities of the time. The shepherd, a traditionally romanticized figure, stands almost as a silhouette, blending into the very landscape he is meant to oversee. The landscape almost becomes a character itself, bearing witness to the lives intertwined within it. It's hard not to consider how class and labor are subtly coded into this seemingly tranquil scene. Van der Toorn invites us to contemplate not just the beauty, but the narratives of those who shaped and were shaped by it.