Tell me more.
The artist Meyndert Hobbema was known for landscapes like this. Notice the large area devoted to the sky and the shadowy figures in the foreground. Landscapes like this were and idealistic view on the world. They were a reaction against the rapid urbanization happening in Europe at the time.
Could you tell me more about Hobbema?
Sure! He was born in Amsterdam and spent most of his life there.
At this time, the Netherlands and the rest of Europe, more people were moving into the cities, and upper-middle-class and upper-class people enjoyed paintings of the countryside that showed an ideal vision of country life.
Hobbema trained with an artist named Jacob van Ruisdael and became known for his scenes of quiet village life. Although he was based in the city, he would travel out to sketch scenes of smaller towns in order to capture traditional country life for his paintings.
Look closely at the cottage and the small figures of people!