Landschap met bomen 1848 - 1888

Anton Mauve made this sketch of trees using graphite on paper. Mauve belonged to the Hague School, a group of Dutch realist painters active in the second half of the 19th century. They reacted against the prevailing Romanticism with a more sober style and a focus on the ordinary. The Netherlands was rapidly industrializing at the time, and many artists saw it as their role to document traditional rural life. The Hague School was heavily influenced by the Barbizon School in France, which also emphasized painting en plein air, or outdoors, to capture the changing effects of light and atmosphere. Mauve's sketch may seem simple, but it reflects a conscious choice to depict the natural world in an unidealized way. Art historians consult letters, diaries, and exhibition reviews, to better understand the meaning of art in its original social context. It reminds us that artistic movements are always shaped by their specific time and place.