Schetsen van bomen 1596 - 1646

Giovanni Stefano Marucelli made this drawing of trees with pen in brown ink. This landscape might seem like just a simple study, but it reflects important cultural shifts. Consider the rising status of landscape art in the 17th and 18th centuries. No longer simply background, nature became a subject in its own right, tied to ideas of national identity and the sublime. Artists were no longer simply illustrating religious stories but exploring the world around them. Marucelli’s sketch, with its delicate lines and careful observation, exemplifies a growing interest in capturing the specifics of the natural world. It’s a development connected to scientific inquiry and exploration. By studying drawings like this, alongside estate papers from the artist's family, and records from art academies, we can better understand the changing role of the artist in society, and the new ways of seeing that were emerging. Art always exists within a specific social and intellectual context.