Wilgebomen 1875 - 1885

Editor: This is Willem Roelofs’s *Wilgebomen*, painted between 1875 and 1885. It's an oil painting that gives me a feeling of peaceful immersion in nature. What stands out to you? Curator: This piece offers us a window into the development of landscape painting during a time of significant social change. The move to *plein-air* painting coincides with the rise of industrialization and urbanization. How might we interpret these artists’ focus on unspoiled nature through the lens of environmental consciousness, as a form of early protest against encroaching industry? Editor: That's a great point! I hadn’t considered the social context, I was only looking at it from a visual perspective. Curator: Exactly. Roelofs isn't simply capturing a picturesque scene. He is making a statement by choosing to depict this rural setting. In doing so, we need to consider how notions of “nature” are themselves cultural constructions that tell us about class, labor and access to resources. What do we leave out when we depict nature as idyllic? Editor: So, it's not just a painting of trees, but a commentary on the changing world and who has access to these spaces. Do you think the lack of human figures contributes to that feeling of isolation, and perhaps privilege? Curator: Precisely! Their absence reinforces the idea of nature as separate from human activity, potentially overlooking the labor and lives intertwined with the land. Considering these things complicates our initial, perhaps naive, enjoyment of its beauty. Editor: This makes me see the painting in a completely new light. Thanks! Curator: It’s important to constantly question whose perspectives are privileged and whose are erased when we look at any work of art.