Landschap met vissers 1783

Johannes Janson created this etching, Landschap met vissers, sometime in the 18th century. During this time in the Dutch Republic, class distinctions were pronounced, and landscape art often served to reinforce social hierarchies. Here, we see figures engaged in the labor of fishing. The work appears to represent the everyday life of the working class, yet it also invites us to consider how labor and leisure were viewed and valued in Dutch society. The image raises questions about the relationship between humans and nature, and how different social classes interacted with the environment. It’s easy to look past the social stratification of the time, but I encourage you to reflect on the emotional dimensions of the artwork, and the stories it tells about the lived experiences of people from all walks of life in the 1700s.