Sheet with two borders with pastoral landscapes on a gray background 1775 - 1875

This is a paper sheet featuring two borders of pastoral landscapes printed with woodcut on a gray background, made by an anonymous artist. The composition invites a reading based on repetition and mirroring. Each border presents a continuous bucolic scene, but the doubling effect creates a curious sense of déjà vu, prompting us to question the authenticity of the pastoral ideal. The limited color palette, dominated by greens, reds and grays, flattens the perspective, emphasizing surface over depth. This simplification of form can be interpreted through the lens of structuralism. The landscapes are not presented as faithful representations of reality, but rather as signs within a structured visual language. The repetitive nature of the design destabilizes the conventional understanding of landscape art as a window onto the natural world. Ultimately, the work prompts us to consider how meaning is constructed through repetition, difference, and the underlying structures that govern our perception. The visual form is not merely decorative but embodies a larger engagement with the semiotics of landscape and representation.