AMSTERDAM.- The Rijksmuseum presents Longing for Nature, an exhibition at Schiphol Airport of eleven 19th-century landscape paintings from the museum’s own collection. The paintings by artists including Willem Roelofs, Anton Mauve and Richard Roland Holst show how the portrayal of the landscape changed with the rise of industry. Initially, artists depicted nature as vast and imposing, but then the human influence became increasingly present in the paintings, until ultimately a longing for unspoilt nature came to dominate. The works will be on display for a year from 5 November 2022 at Rijksmuseum Schiphol, the branch of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.

Unchanging

Until 1850, nature was seen as powerful and unchanging, and it was hardly imaginable that humans could have a lasting influence on it. Artists such as Willem Roelofs painted nature alive with drama and contrast, as in his 1850 painting Landscape with a Thunderstorm Brewing. They also composed idyllic landscapes. In Landscape with a Rainstorm Threatening (c. 1825-1829), for example, Barend Cornelis Koekkoek shows shepherds in panoramic fields enjoying a simple and peaceful life.

The Industrial Revolution

That picture was to change completely with the Industrial Revolution. Human exploitation of natural resources intensified, and nature retreated to make way for agriculture and growing cities. Many artists wanted to escape the crowds and move to the countryside. This gave rise to works such as Landscape in Drenthe by Julius van de Sande Bakhuyzen (1882) and Landscape near Kortenhoef by Paul Joseph Constantin Gabriël (1877).

Paint tube
With the advent of modern painting equipment, such as the paint tube and the portable easel, it became much easier to paint outdoors. For the first time, artists were able to depict what they saw immediately in front of them. They began to focus on details such as the reflection of light on water, and on natural elements such as sand, or snow, as in Anton Mauve’s Winter in the Scheveningen Woods (c. 1870-1888).

Idealisation
At the end of the 19th century, painters again began to idealise nature – not to make it appear impressive and powerful, but to convey a sense of nostalgia and tranquillity. This yielded more intimate landscapes, such as Corner of a Garden with Nasturtiums by Richard Roland Holst (1891).

Book
For more on the history of Dutch landscape painting, the standard work Mirror of Reality. 19th-Century Painting in the Netherlands by Jenny Reynaerts, senior curator of painting at the Rijksmuseum, offers the latest insights.

Rijksmuseum Schiphol

In 2002, the Rijksmuseum became the very first art museum to open a branch at an airport. Travellers can visit free of charge 24 hours a day. It is located between Lounge 2 and 3, past security at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam.