Landschap met watermolen en vee 1733 - 1789

Johann Jakob Schalch created this landscape with a watermill and cattle using etching, a printmaking technique, sometime in the 18th century. During this era, there was a prevailing cultural desire to capture and idealize rural life, yet the reality was often one of hardship for those living it. Schalch's work, like many pastoral scenes of its time, presents a serene view, but it also prompts us to consider the unseen labor and lives that sustain this picturesque setting. Consider, what does it mean to romanticize a life closely tied to the land, and who benefits from this portrayal? There’s a quiet stillness in the scene, yet it speaks volumes about the relationship between humanity and the natural world, idealized through the lens of 18th-century sensibilities.