Twee vrouwen zittend op een rots, cupido's en een visser bezig met netten en gevangen vissen 1687 - 1748

Martin Schedel created this drawing, "Two Women Seated on a Rock, Cupids and a Fisherman Busy with Nets and Caught Fish," using pen and brown ink, sometime between 1677 and 1748. This drawing can be viewed through the lens of the Dutch Golden Age, a period marked by unprecedented economic prosperity and cultural flourishing in the Netherlands. Dutch art of this era often celebrated everyday life, trade, and civic virtues, but this scene is more in line with the romantic themes popular in French art of the same era. The presence of cupids amidst a scene of labor and leisure suggests a commentary on the role of love and desire in human affairs. Is Schedel challenging the perceived social norms of his time, perhaps questioning the strict moral codes upheld by certain religious factions? Or is he simply offering a romanticized vision of pastoral life? By exploring period literature, social histories, and artistic trends, we can gain a deeper understanding of this drawing's meaning and its place within the broader cultural landscape of its time. Art is always contingent on social and institutional context.