Rivierlandschap 1832 - 1897

Willem Roelofs created this work on paper, a river landscape, with a pencil. Roelofs belonged to the Hague School, a group of Dutch artists working in the second half of the 19th century. They were known for their realistic, often melancholic, depictions of the Dutch landscape. This drawing captures the quiet stillness of the Dutch countryside, likely intended for an urban audience. The detailed rendering of light and atmosphere evokes a specific mood which chimes well with the rise of Romanticism, and its valuing of subjective emotional experience. The rise of landscape painting coincided with rapid industrialization and urbanization, making the countryside a focus for nostalgia. The Rijksmuseum, like many national museums, played a role in shaping a sense of national identity through art. Examining period writings and exhibition reviews can provide a better understanding of the cultural values that shaped the art.