Dutch school; 17th century.

Dutch school; 17th century.
"Landscape."
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Presents sealing wax seal on the back.
Measurements: 24.5 x 29.5 cm; 37 x 42.5 cm (frame).
This painting of the Dutch School of the XVII century, the author, represents a typical rural environment with buildings of thatched roof, winding roads, farm animals and groups of peasants busy in their daily chores. The carefully composed scene is part of a pictorial tradition that flourished particularly in the Netherlands during the Golden Age, in which landscape was emancipated as an autonomous genre, acquiring a profound aesthetic, symbolic and social value.
The painting exhibits a balanced composition, in which the viewer is invited to visually travel through different planes of the landscape, from the foreground where human figures can be seen interacting with the cattle, to the background where roads and buildings are insinuated in a softer and more distant light. The presence of leafy trees that frame the scene and the atmospheric treatment of the sky, where masses of clouds are combined with clear areas, reinforce the realistic but idealized character of the landscape.
The treatment of the human figure, although secondary to the natural and architectural environment, demonstrates an interest in daily life and the faithful representation of the costumes, customs and peasant work. This interest is not merely decorative, but contains a moralizing and contemplative vision of the harmony between man and nature, as well as an exaltation of honest work and the simplicity of rural life, very much in line with the dominant Protestant values of Dutch society at the time.
The Dutch School of the 17th century was a pioneer in developing landscape as a genre with its own identity, detached from religious or mythological narratives, and turned it into a vehicle for the meticulous observation of the visible world and for the expression of a sensibility deeply linked to the territory and everyday life. In this context, the present work stands out for the richness of its details, the restrained but effective use of color, and the serene and orderly atmosphere it conveys, reflecting the high technical and conceptual level that characterized Dutch painting of this period.