Landsbykirken i Lisse 1626 - 1629

Jan van Goyen made this tiny landscape drawing of the village church in Lisse with pen and brown ink. The period in which it was made, the first half of the 17th century in the Netherlands, saw the Dutch Republic secure independence and experience a golden age of trade, science, and the arts. It was also a time of intense religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants. Van Goyen’s landscapes, like this one, often depict the flat, open countryside of the Netherlands, with its canals, windmills, and small towns. The church here stands prominently in the composition, but is not idealized. The ordinary people, going about their daily lives, occupy the foreground. To fully appreciate this kind of art, we can research the complex relationship between the Dutch landscape and the political, economic, and religious life of the time. In that context, seemingly simple scenes become powerful statements about national identity and social values.