Hilly landscape 

This is a pen and brown ink drawing of a 'Hilly Landscape' by Claude Lorrain made sometime in the 17th century. Lorrain, a prominent figure in landscape painting, was working during a period of significant social stratification and rigid class structures. In 'Hilly Landscape', Lorrain depicts an idealized vision of nature, yet it is important to consider how these landscapes often served to mask the realities of rural life and labor for the lower classes. These serene scenes often obscure the economic and social disparities that existed within the rural settings they portray. The people who worked the land, their struggles and daily lives, are notably absent, replaced by an aestheticized version of the countryside. Lorrain’s work presents a perspective that invites us to reflect on whose stories are told and whose are left out of the artistic narrative.