Landschap met koeien en een herder 1766 - 1815

Jacob van Strij made this drawing, "Landschap met koeien en een herder," using pen in brown ink and brush in grey ink. This vista of cows grazing under a sky heavy with clouds evokes the Dutch countryside and a way of life that was changing rapidly. Van Strij was working in the Netherlands during a time of economic decline and political upheaval. The old Dutch Republic had come to an end in 1795, and was replaced by French occupation. As the country went through political turmoil, Dutch artists looked back to an idealised vision of rural life. Artists were employed by wealthy patrons to represent traditional life which was under threat from an increasingly urban and industrial society. The art market in this period was governed by the demands of bourgeois collectors, who wanted art to be improving and morally edifying. To gain a deeper understanding of the political and economic conditions that gave rise to this art, we can consult historical archives, economic data, and collections of letters from artists and patrons. These research avenues can enrich our understanding of art as something contingent on social and institutional context.