Gehöft an einem Wasser, links an einer Weide ein Bauernpaar mit einem Kind und einem Hund 

Johann Jakob Koller made this watercolor painting, "Gehöft an einem Wasser, links an einer Weide ein Bauernpaar mit einem Kind und einem Hund," which translates to "Farmstead by a water, on the left on a pasture a farmer couple with a child and a dog," likely around the late 18th century. This image encapsulates the romanticized view of rural life that was in vogue in Europe at the time, particularly in the wake of urbanization. Koller's emphasis on the family unit and the integration of the figures into a gentle, prosperous landscape speaks to the values of the rising middle class. It presents a comforting, ordered vision of the countryside, far removed from the realities of agricultural labor. As art historians, it’s our job to unpack these visual codes. We need to explore estate records, agricultural treatises, and social histories of Switzerland to understand the context of the piece. Only then can we grasp the dialogue between Koller's idyllic scene and the complex social realities of his time. Art, after all, is always contingent on its context.