Landscape with Peasants with their Cattle and Anglers on the Water 1800 - 1810

Jacob van Strij painted this idyllic scene of peasants and their livestock in the Netherlands, sometime between 1776 and 1815. The tranquil image speaks to the powerful cultural and economic place of agriculture in Dutch society. The image emphasizes harmony between people and nature, a common theme in Dutch Golden Age painting of the previous century. But here the figures are very much part of the landscape. Notice the way the woman’s white bonnet and the light-colored cows are mirrored in the soft tones of the sky. At the time this was painted, institutions like the Haarlem Society for Encouragement of Agriculture played an important role in consolidating the political power of a rural land-owning class. Van Strij’s painting subtly reinforces this conservative social order. For a deeper understanding, we might consult archives of agricultural societies from the period, or studies in Dutch social history. Only through understanding the wider context can we grasp the painting's true meaning.