Visser bij de knotwilgen 1832 - 1897

Willem Roelofs created this print, titled 'Visser bij de knotwilgen,' using etching techniques. Roelofs, a Dutch artist, painted in a period defined by the rise of landscape art, which often served as a canvas for exploring national identity and cultural values. In this intimate scene, we see a solitary fisherman beside pollard willows, their forms mirrored in the still water. Roelofs invites us to contemplate the relationship between humanity and nature. The fisherman, a figure often associated with simple living, seems at peace within his environment, yet we may also interpret this image through a contemporary lens, questioning the sustainability of such harmony in an era of ecological concerns. How do we see ourselves within the landscapes we inhabit?