drawing, pencil
drawing
landscape
pencil
15_18th-century
Dimensions 9 11/16 x 13 11/16 in. (24.61 x 34.77 cm)
Jacob Cats made this drawing, *View of Heemstede*, in the Netherlands around the end of the 18th century. It is a depiction of everyday life, but one that is carefully constructed to make a statement about Dutch society. The scene presents an ordered and prosperous world. In the foreground, we see figures at rest, enjoying the shade of a tree, while a well-behaved herd of animals passes by. The buildings are neat and tidy. What's most striking, however, is the sense of calm, the distinct lack of drama. This was a conscious artistic choice during a time when the Dutch Republic was becoming increasingly urbanized and commercialized. These kinds of images were not simply neutral records of the world; they offered a particular vision of the nation. By studying such artworks and looking at other documents from the period, we can understand more about the values and anxieties of the time. Art can offer insights into the social structures that shaped it.
Comments
The Dutch artist Jacob Cats specialized in landscape, often executing paintings and drawings of this subject in meticulous detail. Here he depicted a wooded street in Heemstede, a small village five kilometers south of Haarlem. Cats represents the dappled light coming through the trees on a bright, sunny day to beautiful effect. Humorously, a dapper figure is caught by the artist in the act of relieving himself against a brick wall on the left. Otherwise it is a sleepy afternoon. A pair of shepherds guide a flock of sheep along the road, some laundry dries on a line, and small groups of men gather in the shade to smoke and chat. /// We are grateful to Gajus Scheltema for clarifying the date and provenance of this drawing.
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