Landschap met een roeiboot tussen het riet van een rivier 1874 - 1925

Jan Veth created this sketch of a rowboat in the reeds, using graphite and chalk, but we don't know exactly when. Veth was one of the most important portraitists of the Dutch intellectual elite at the turn of the century, and he was very active in the cultural debates of his time. This sketch is an early work, made before he achieved prominence as an artist. We see the artist working out ideas and techniques, such as light and shadow. The image resonates with the late 19th century art movement of the Hague School which sought to represent the landscape of the Netherlands in a realistic and atmospheric way. Veth was closely associated with the movement, which saw the Dutch landscape as a source of national identity and pride. Art history gives us the tools to place works of art in their social and institutional context. By studying the artist's biography, the art movement, and the cultural debates of the time, we can better understand the meaning and significance of this sketch.