Karretje op een weg met bomen c. 1898

Willem de Zwart made this painting, "Karretje op een weg met bomen," using oil on panel sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. The painting depicts a cart on a tree-lined road; a commonplace scene from the period that reveals a great deal about the changing social landscape of the Netherlands at the time. The Netherlands experienced significant urban and industrial expansion throughout the 19th century. While many artists focused on city life, others looked to the countryside, finding in it a sense of national identity. De Zwart’s choice of subject matter, as well as his painting style, aligns him with the Hague School, a group of Dutch artists working between 1860 and 1890. The Hague School artists rejected the rigid academic style that was taught in art schools in favor of a more naturalistic approach. We can learn about the artist, his teachers and the people that acquired his art through archival sources, auction records and gallery catalogues. These sources help us contextualize art and understand its historical meaning.