Klein landschap met twee tuinpoorten achter elkaar 1775

Johannes de Bosch created this small landscape with two garden gates one behind the other in the 18th century. The print invites us into a garden, framed by classical architecture, populated by statues and two figures which appear to be women. The image exists within the context of the Enlightenment, where the elite’s fascination with reason and order extended into garden design. Yet, the asymmetrical composition and somewhat overgrown landscape hint at the rising aesthetic of Romanticism, a move towards nature, emotion, and the individual experience. In this tension between classical ideals and emerging romantic sensibilities, there is an interesting dynamic. The presence of women in this pastoral setting, seemingly at leisure, invites us to consider the limited roles women were afforded in that society, as either symbols of virtue or figures of domesticity. De Bosch’s idealized landscape may represent more than just a picturesque scene; it reflects the complex interplay between gender, class, and societal expectations.