Cottage by a Stream 

Frits Thaulow painted this oil on canvas titled 'Cottage by a Stream', but we don't know exactly when. The image presents an idealised rural scene, which seems like a nostalgic reflection on traditional ways of life, perhaps already fading at the time the painting was made. The cottage is humble, but picturesque; solid and well-maintained. It evokes a sense of timelessness. The river dominates the scene; it seems to represent the continuities of nature, and its indifference to human affairs. Thaulow was Norwegian, but he spent long periods in France, so this image can be located within a wider European culture of landscape painting, often supported by national art academies. To understand its meaning better, we can consider its place in the history of landscape painting, or we might compare it to other images of rural life made at the time. Either way, art history allows us to see this painting not just as a pretty scene, but as a cultural document.