Drie liggende schapen 1822 - 1899

This is an etching of three resting sheep by Simon van den Berg. We don't know exactly when it was made, but he was active in the Netherlands throughout the 19th century, an era when Dutch artists looked to capture their national identity. Looking at this image, we might consider the role of the artist in representing rural life. As cities grew during the industrial revolution, art academies became ever more popular. Artists started looking outside of urban life for subject matter and to the countryside for an idea of the ‘authentic’. This image is evocative of a very particular vision of the rural Netherlands, one that is peaceful and serene. To understand this work better, we can look at the economic conditions of the period. The Netherlands was an agricultural nation, but its farmers struggled with poverty. Images like these tend to romanticize the hardships of country life, giving us an incomplete picture. By researching Dutch history, we can start to get a better understanding of the social conditions that shaped Van den Berg’s production.