Winterlandschap 1834 - 1892

David Bles created this wintry scene with etching. It shows a bleak, windswept landscape which was characteristic of the rural Netherlands. The lone figure, contrasted with the distant windmill, emphasizes the relationship between humanity and nature that was a topic of keen interest in the Romantic era. By the time this image was made, in the mid-19th century, windmills were becoming archaic. They were being replaced by steam power in an era of rapid industrialization. The artist is playing on nostalgia for the past. These images provided city dwellers with idealized notions of what it was like to live in the country. They reinforced the idea of Dutch cultural identity as being rooted in the soil. Art historians can draw on a wide range of resources, including trade statistics, agricultural records, and literature to arrive at a richer, more nuanced understanding of the image.