Boerderijen aan een waterkant c. 1803 - 1818

Arnoldus Johannes Eymer rendered this sketch of farmhouses by a waterway in pencil sometime in the first half of the 19th century. It's a common-enough rural scene, but such images served an important social function in the Netherlands at that time. The Dutch Golden Age of the previous two centuries had seen the Netherlands rise to global prominence, but the 19th century brought decline and a search for a new sense of national identity. This is where art came in. Artists turned away from the cosmopolitan cities and toward the countryside, finding in the landscape a sense of enduring Dutch character. The simple life of the farmer became a symbol of national pride. Institutions like the art academy and the various local drawing societies promoted this imagery and encouraged artists to find inspiration in the Dutch soil. We can better understand this artwork by researching the history of Dutch nationalism and the role of art institutions in shaping cultural identity. It shows how the meaning of art is tied to the social and political context in which it is made and consumed.