Groep bomen bij een poel 1848

Jean Alexis Achard created this etching, "Groep bomen bij een poel", sometime in the 19th century. The image presents a scene of nature, with trees clustered around a pool of water. Achard lived through a time of great change, with old social hierarchies collapsing, and landscape art became a way to think about France's changing relationship to its own territory. Artists working at the time, particularly in the Barbizon School, celebrated the countryside as a space of freedom, tradition, and escape from modern life. The image creates meaning through the play of light and shadow, which romanticize and emphasize the beauty of nature. As art historians, we can look at how the landscape genre shaped the identity of a nation through institutions such as art schools and academies. The art market also played a key role in promoting new ideas about nature.