Landschap met twee koeien bij bomen en een beek 1790

Gerard van Nijmegen made this etching, *Landscape with Two Cows by Trees and a Stream*, in the Netherlands. It depicts a serene rural scene, but these kinds of images often conceal as much as they reveal. The Dutch Golden Age, which had preceded this work, saw an explosion of landscape painting as the Dutch Republic emerged as a major economic and political power. The countryside became a symbol of national identity and pride, even as the country's wealth was built on global trade and colonialism. By the time Van Nijmegen made this image, the Netherlands was no longer a leading power, but the social and cultural impact of the Golden Age lingered. The Dutch Reformed Church, a powerful institution at the time, influenced cultural values ​​and promoted ideas of order and simplicity that we might see reflected in the image. To understand this work, we need to turn to economic and institutional histories, as well as cultural studies.