Landschap met herder en vee 1761 - 1784

Johannes Janson made this etching, "Landscape with Shepherd and Cattle," in the Netherlands sometime in the 1700s. It's a scene that seems simple, a shepherd moving livestock, but it speaks to changing ideas about land and society at the time. The Dutch Golden Age had depended on urban trade. As the Dutch economy shifted, country life became more romanticized, and landscapes like this became popular. We can see this in the art world of the time. The etching medium itself was becoming more common, as institutions like art academies formalized artistic training, and created markets for prints like these. Through estate records, journals, and other archival sources, we can see how Dutch artists both reflected and shaped the values of their society.