Herders met kudde in bosrijk landschap 1706 - 1759

Jacob van Liender made this watercolor drawing of herders and their flock in a wooded landscape sometime in the first half of the 18th century. It's typical of Dutch landscape art of the period. But what are the social conditions that made such a landscape so popular? Well, the Dutch Golden Age was a period of great economic prosperity for the Netherlands, driven by maritime trade and colonial expansion. This wealth created a large middle class with money to spend on art. Landscapes were popular because they celebrated the beauty and bounty of the Dutch countryside. The rise of the art market also meant artists were no longer dependent on commissions from the church or aristocracy, so could produce works for a broader audience. To understand this artwork better, we can look at the economic history of the Dutch Republic, as well as the development of its art institutions. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.