Fantasielandschaft mit hohem Felsengebirge 1642

Rembrandt van Rijn made this landscape drawing with pen and brown ink in the Netherlands. He was interested in the natural world but even more so in the drama of human activity. This landscape looks like a real place but it is a construction. The monumental rock face, for example, is not typically Dutch. Instead, it is an imaginary amalgamation of observed and remembered details. The image also contains social realities. The bridge signifies trade and travel, while figures dotted throughout the scene represent everyday life. Dutch art of this time was closely tied to the Protestant faith and the rise of a wealthy merchant class. Artists catered to the tastes of this new audience, creating accessible images of everyday life. We can look to period maps and travelogues, merchant records, and religious tracts to understand the social conditions that shaped Rembrandt’s artistic production. By doing this we can better appreciate the public role of his art.