Wasserij en bleekvelden, ca. 1600 1608

Claes Jansz. Visscher created this etching, *Washery and Bleaching Fields*, around 1600. The composition is divided into two distinct halves. The left side portrays an open, rural landscape, while the right features an enclosed urban scene, creating a visual contrast between nature and industry. The landscape uses linear perspective, drawing the eye into the background, whilst the building is depicted with sharp, precise lines, emphasizing its architectural form. The foreground is crowded with barrels, tools, and workers. This arrangement suggests a hierarchy where manual labor supports the structured environment. The materiality of the etching is crucial as the lines create texture and depth. The trees framing the scene add a sense of enclosure, focusing attention on the activities within. The print invites us to consider how labor and landscape were being organized and represented during this period of increasing urbanization.