Landschap met een veehoeder

Lucas van Uden made this landscape with a herder using etching. Van Uden was a Flemish painter and art dealer, and his landscapes are often bucolic scenes populated by figures engaged in rural life. Looking at this seemingly simple landscape we should consider the period in which van Uden was working. In the 17th century landscapes were more than pretty pictures; they were imbued with ideas about property, labor, and national identity. This etching reflects the hierarchical structure of rural society at that time. The shepherd, a figure of labor, is placed within nature, but the church spire looms in the background, a reminder of social order and religious authority. These landscapes helped to reinforce a particular vision of the countryside, one where everyone knew their place, class distinctions were visually maintained, and those in power remained in power.