A Landscape with a Herd of Pigs 1645

Paulus Potter, a Dutch artist, painted “A Landscape with a Herd of Pigs,” using oil on canvas. Potter lived during the Dutch Golden Age, a time of economic prosperity and artistic flourishing in the Netherlands, when the rise of a wealthy merchant class led to a demand for secular paintings of everyday life. While many artists focused on portraiture, genre scenes, or landscapes that aggrandized the wealthy, Potter often depicted animals with remarkable realism and sensitivity. His paintings challenge the traditional hierarchy of art, where humans and grand narratives were prioritized over depictions of the natural world. In this pastoral scene, the pigs are rendered with careful attention to their individual characteristics and behaviors. The artist captures the textures of their skin, the folds of their bodies, and their interactions with one another. Instead of idealizing the animals, Potter presents them in their full, corporeal reality. Consider the place of animals, particularly livestock, in the Dutch economy and social fabric of the time. Potter seems to invite viewers to contemplate our relationship with these creatures that sustain us, and perhaps to recognize their inherent worth beyond their economic value.