Landschap met bomen langs een pad waarop een figuur loopt 1854 - 1879

Jules Marie Armand Goethals created this landscape with trees along a path in the late 19th century. During this era, there was a growing divide between urban and rural life. As cities industrialized, landscapes were often idealized as a place of refuge. Look at how the path directs your eyes into the distance, towards what appears to be a solitary figure walking further away from us. The image might evoke different feelings depending on your own relationship to nature. Does it elicit a sense of peace and solitude, or perhaps one of isolation? How does this relate to the historical context of the artwork? As you consider Goethals' landscape, think about how these types of images both shape and reflect our complex relationship to the natural world.