Gezicht over een meer of zee, met besneeuwde bergen op de achtergrond (Noorwegen?) 1896 - 1897

Henry Pauw van Wieldrecht made this photograph of a Norwegian, or perhaps Nordic, seascape. With its sublime depiction of nature, this image evokes the aesthetics of the Romantic era. In the 19th century, the genre of landscape painting became incredibly popular as a way to express national identity. It also spoke to the changing relationship between humans and nature, particularly among the rising middle class. Consider the rise of tourism and leisure activities during this time. The lack of human presence in this image removes any sense of scale. The viewer is confronted with the vastness of nature. To understand this image better, we might look into the artistic conventions of landscape photography in the Netherlands. We could also look at how technological advances in photography influenced artistic choices and how it all relates to the art market.