Landskab med en kirke, der ses bag et bondehus. I forgrunden en ridende og en gående person 1775

Simon Malgoc produced this landscape with a church behind a farmhouse as an etching. The scene presents an idealized view of rural life, one that was likely consumed by an urban audience in late eighteenth-century Denmark. This image evokes meaning through its representation of the natural world and its combination of secular and religious elements. The church in the background is set alongside a modest farmhouse, reflecting the social structure of the time, where the church held significant power. The figures in the foreground are small in comparison to the landscape, emphasizing the grandeur of nature and the everyday life of the local population. Was this a nostalgic fantasy for the rising urban class of the time? Further investigation into the social and economic conditions of 18th-century Denmark would allow us to fully understand the cultural values and the institutional forces that shaped both the production and reception of this landscape.