['Italian Landscape with Shepherd and Shepherdess', 'Decoration for a Room in the House of Jacob de Flines in Amsterdam'] c. 1687

Gerard de Lairesse painted ‘Italian Landscape with Shepherd and Shepherdess’ as a room decoration, its large scale immediately commands attention. The composition, with its towering trees and distant mountains, uses vertical lines to create a sense of height and grandeur. A soft, diffused light bathes the scene, evoking a dreamlike quality. The landscape, with its shepherd and shepherdess, is not just a scene but a carefully constructed idea. Lairesse uses the pastoral setting to evoke classical ideals of beauty and harmony, yet there is an awareness of artificiality. The figures are posed, almost staged, within the landscape, which creates an interplay between the natural and the artificial. The muted color palette reinforces this, grounding the mythical figures in something palpable. The painting challenges our understanding of landscape as merely a backdrop, turning it into a constructed space where idealized figures can enact their roles.