Landschap met bomen aan een waterkant c. 1846 - 1851

Willem Roelofs made this sketch of trees by a waterside with a pencil. Roelofs was a Dutch painter who lived through a period of enormous social change, particularly the modernization of the Netherlands. This sketch is a wonderful example of the kind of art produced in the Netherlands as it found its place as a modern nation. It is an intimate sketch, focused on the local environment. The drawing suggests a certain nostalgia for the pre-industrial landscape. It reflects on the relationship between nation, landscape, and identity. We can see this shift, in part, through changes to the institutions of art. Museums and art schools played an increasing role in standardizing art practice and taste. To understand how Roelofs was responding to those changes, historians often consult exhibition catalogs, art criticism, and artists' correspondence. These sources can help us to understand the cultural values that shaped the artist's vision.