Landschap met twee windmolens 1852 - 1906

Emilie Rolin-Jacquemijns created this landscape with two windmills as an etching. As a woman working in the late 19th century, her work, like that of many women artists, was often relegated to smaller scales and more intimate genres such as landscapes and portraits. Rolin-Jacquemijns was Belgian, and this scene likely depicts the countryside of that region, where windmills were – and still are – a common sight, essential for draining the low-lying fields. Note the contrast in the image between the close windmill, shown in great detail, and the second more distant one. Is this Rolin-Jacquemijns way of creating a sense of personal, perhaps even proprietary, relationship to the land? As art historians, we often rely on letters, exhibition reviews, and other archival documents to understand the social context in which an artist was working. Such research helps us move beyond simple description and engage with the complex interplay between art, society, and the individual.