Wooded Landscape with a House beside a River 1605 - 1673

Lucas van Uden made this drawing, "Wooded Landscape with a House beside a River," using pen and brown ink with blue wash in the 17th-century. Landscapes in the Dutch Golden Age, when this was made, weren't just pretty pictures. They often reflected the values and aspirations of a society that had recently won independence. The focus on ordinary, local scenes celebrated a sense of national identity. Van Uden's choice to depict a humble house by the river, surrounded by nature, speaks to a cultural appreciation for the simple life. Antwerp was undergoing major changes, and a growing merchant class, so this was a comment on the social structures of its time. To understand this drawing fully, we can look at period maps, literature, and social histories to uncover the meanings it held for its original audience, and the artist himself. After all, art always speaks to the social context in which it's made.