Berglandschap 1836 - 1882

Eliza Agnetus Emilius Nijhoff created this landscape, likely in the mid-19th century, using etching techniques. As a woman artist in the Netherlands, Nijhoff would have navigated a male-dominated art world. Landscape imagery during this period was often tied to national identity and Romantic ideals of nature. This print, with its mountain and dense forest, evokes a sense of the sublime. The tiny figures on the path invite the viewer to contemplate their own place within this imposing scenery. By the 19th century, the art academy was an important institution in the Netherlands. Researching the records of these institutions would give us a better sense of how landscape was taught, and what kinds of opportunities existed for women artists. Investigating exhibition catalogues and art criticism from the time might reveal how Nijhoff's work was received by her contemporaries. The meaning of art is always embedded in social and institutional contexts.