Zandweg te Wijhe onder een zware lucht 1861 - 1904

Théophile de Bock made this drawing of a country road near Wijhe with pencil, pen, and blue wash. De Bock was part of the Hague School, a group of Dutch artists in the late 19th century who turned away from romantic depictions of historical events and toward a more sober realism. The image shows a humble scene of rural life in the Netherlands. De Bock is known for his landscapes, and the landscape itself, rather than its inhabitants, is the subject of this work. But the lone figure walking down the road reminds us that this natural world is also a human one. The artist drew this image as the Netherlands was going through a period of industrialization and urbanization. Artists like De Bock helped to create a nostalgic image of the Dutch countryside. Art historians turn to sources like exhibition reviews and artists’ letters to understand this relationship between art and social change.