Landschap met hooibergen 1861 - 1937

Cornelia van der Hart made this etching of a landscape with haystacks at an unknown date. Van der Hart was active in a period that saw many women in the Netherlands joining artists’ societies and participating in public exhibitions. This work offers a view onto Dutch agriculture and rural life. It shows a wide, flat landscape under a vast sky, dominated by two haystacks in the middle ground. These forms are rendered with strong, dark lines which contrast with the lighter treatment of the surrounding fields. The low horizon and emphasis on the sky are characteristic of the Dutch landscape tradition, reflecting the unique geography of the Netherlands and its relationship to the sea. What this image tells us about the economic and cultural importance of agriculture in the Netherlands, and what was the role of women within these structures? These are questions that historians can explore by consulting archives, agricultural records, and gender studies research. Doing so helps to uncover the meanings and values that were attached to the land and to women artists in the Netherlands.