Gezicht op Delft 1666 - 1698

Joost van Geel's "Gezicht op Delft," or "View of Delft," offers us a glimpse into the world of 17th-century Holland through the lens of class and labor. Created during the Dutch Golden Age, it reflects a society undergoing significant economic and social shifts. Here we have a landscape neatly divided between the town and the countryside. The rigid lines of the city are set against the vast openness of the land. The laborers and their animals exist in the foreground, and the gentry casually cross the bridge. The landscape offers both sustenance and leisure, but only to some. These divisions, so neatly set apart by the artist, reflect a burgeoning disparity in wealth and labor. While seemingly documenting the city's landscape, van Geel subtly comments on the era's social fabric. The artwork becomes more than just a pretty picture; it's a document of its time, inviting us to think about who benefited from the Golden Age and who did not.