Landschap met rustende figuur 1833 - 1879

Cornelis Jan Bolt made this landscape drawing, titled 'Landschap met rustende figuur', using pen in gray ink and brush in gray wash. Bolt was working in the Netherlands in the mid-19th century. While at first glance, this appears to be an idyllic scene, it's worth considering how class and the Industrial Revolution impacted representations of leisure. Who is afforded the opportunity to rest in nature? And what labor makes that rest possible? The figure in the landscape seems very small; perhaps they were not the intended focus. It prompts us to consider Romanticism's complex relationship to nature. While it celebrates the sublime beauty of the natural world, it can also obscure the realities of labor and social inequality that existed in the rapidly industrializing societies of the 19th century. So, while we can appreciate the artist's skill in capturing the serenity of the landscape, let's also think about whose stories are being told and whose are being left out.