Mountainous Landscape near Düsseldorf 1790

Gerard van Nijmegen painted this Mountainous Landscape near Düsseldorf with oil on canvas. The late 18th century was a time of great social change with burgeoning industrialization and urbanization. As such, landscape paintings were gaining popularity as the wealthy middle class increasingly wanted to celebrate nature. Nijmegen’s painting emphasizes the romantic ideal of nature as sublime, as something beyond human control, and this idea is represented through the dramatic scene of a waterfall gushing near a hazardous pathway. It evokes the feeling of being in the presence of something ancient and powerful. However, this painting tells a story of class disparity. The artist juxtaposes nature’s sublime with the image of a family walking down this dangerous path with their horse-drawn wagon. We are reminded of the labor and hardship endured by those who work the land. The painting serves as a reminder of the complex relationship between humans and nature, and the class and social dimensions that often mediate this relationship. It reflects an idealized view of nature alongside the realities of the laboring class.