De kluizenaar c. 1843 - 1920

This print, "De kluizenaar," or "The Hermit," was created by Moritz von Schwind, a 19th-century Austrian artist, and is currently held in the Rijksmuseum. During the 1800s, the role of the solitary hermit in the woods was very romanticized. Schwind’s piece reflects the 19th-century's fascination with the individual’s spiritual journey set against the backdrop of nature. Monasticism and hermitage are traditionally male roles, where the man seeks enlightenment through solitude. The text, printed in Dutch, seems to invite the viewer to contemplate the balance between religious devotion and earthly existence. He seems to have found that balance in the image above of the church within nature, set above the hermit. There is a tension here, because while the hermit has separated himself from the rest of society, the tree at the bottom of the print seems to be holding up children, who can be interpreted as a visual representation of the next generation of society. The artist's style, reminiscent of folk tales and legends, draws us into a world where the sacred and the secular intertwine.