Rivierlandschap 1829 - 1866

Johannes Franciscus Hoppenbrouwers created this river landscape drawing in the Netherlands using pen and brown ink. Hoppenbrouwers lived during a time of significant social and political change in Europe, and his artistic choices reflect the growing interest in the everyday lives of ordinary people. Dutch landscape painting has always been bound up with national identity. In this drawing we get a quiet image of a serene river scene populated by a few figures. The detailed depiction of the landscape invites viewers to connect with the land on a personal level. This intimate drawing may ask us to consider our place within the natural world and contemplate the simple beauty that surrounds us, and how land and identity are intertwined.