Landschap met laan, met aan weerzijde bomen te Meern 1832 - 1897

Willem Roelofs sketched "Landschap met laan, met aan weerzijde bomen te Meern" with a pencil, capturing a lane lined with trees in Meern. Roelofs belonged to a generation of artists who sought to depict the Dutch landscape in its natural state, a stark contrast to the romanticized versions of the past. But consider the social implications of landscape art. Who had access to these scenes? Who owned the land? While Roelofs focused on the serene beauty of the Dutch countryside, his work also reflects the economic structures of the time. Rural landscapes became a source of national pride but often obscured the labor and lives of those who worked the land. Can you see the lone figure in the background? Are they walking toward the city or away from it? Perhaps Roelofs asks us to reflect on our own relationship to the land.