Landschap met een geitenhoeder 1637 - 1656

Curator: This is "Landscape with a Goat Herder," a print made with etching and ink by Cornelis Matthieu, likely between 1637 and 1656. It’s an intimate scene, only about 10cm by 16cm. What strikes you initially? Editor: Ruin and promise. Those tumbled stones seem to mourn a lost world, but the goats suggest ongoing vitality. It reminds me of a dreamscape caught between epochs. Curator: Cornelis Matthieu, situated in the baroque era, grapples here with notions of decline and persistence. Consider the historical backdrop of constant war and societal upheaval. What symbols might resonate within that tumultuous time? Editor: Beyond the ruin as a memento mori, the figure of the goat herder interests me. Herding—care and control of animals—as an ancient trope speaks to humankind's negotiation with the natural world. Even the scattered birds in the sky. Curator: Precisely! The goats, with their pagan associations, contrast sharply with the crumbling structure—perhaps once a site of authority. And there's also something compelling in how this simple rustic figure wanders within it. Is this about taking control, or finding comfort amidst fallen hierarchies? Editor: I also find it striking how the composition leads the eye: a winding path leads to a structure which is a frame in itself to nature. Curator: You’ve identified an interplay that draws us back to that goat herder as a connecting force in this terrain of natural wonder and deconstructed power structures. How might viewers connect with that today? Editor: By seeing themselves reflected in this scene—confronted with legacies of the past, tasked with carving a path into an uncertain future, accompanied only by humble truths. Curator: Beautifully put. Matthieu captures this complex intersection—inviting us to locate ourselves within the continuous narratives of loss, resilience, and the ongoing negotiation of human existence.