River Landscape 1649

Jan van Goyen rendered this river landscape with pen and brown ink, likely in the 1640s. Van Goyen lived during the Dutch Golden Age, a period of immense economic and cultural growth for the Netherlands. But this growth came at a cost. The Dutch Republic was deeply involved in the transatlantic slave trade, which generated wealth for the merchant class, and whose impact rippled across Dutch society. The globalized economy shaped identities and social relations. The people represented in this drawing were impacted by this economy. Their lives were enmeshed with the broader socio-economic realities of the time. Van Goyen’s landscapes are often praised for their realism and naturalism, but we must not forget the social and political context in which they were produced. These serene landscapes can serve as a reminder of the complex relationship between the beauty of art and the harsh realities of history.