Artwork
Swiss Landscape

Swiss Landscape is an oil painting by the Barbizon school artist Gerard Bilders. It dates from 1860 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Technique & Style
The surface retains its original oil medium without significant degradation, preserving the integrity of the painted layer.
The work is an oil painting executed on wood panel, reflecting 19th-century Dutch landscape practice. Its dimensions measure 24.5 cm in height by 34 cm in width, and it portrays a solitary tree within a Swiss setting. The handling emphasizes delicate brushwork that captures atmospheric light, while the formal composition balances naturalistic detail with a restrained palette, characteristic of the artist's mature style.
The surface retains its original oil medium without significant degradation, preserving the integrity of the painted layer.
History & Provenance
The painting titled Swiss Landscape was created by Gerard Bilders in 1860. Executed in oil paint on a panel, the work depicts a landscape featuring a tree. Regarding its ownership history, the sources indicate that Joannes Barnardus Antonius Maria Westerwoudt is recorded as an owner of the piece. The artwork is currently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
Gerard Bilders' painting Swiss Landscape, created in 1860, is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. The work is an oil painting on panel depicting a tree and measures 24.5 cm in height by 34 cm in width. While the current repository is the Rijksmuseum, the artwork was previously owned by Joannes Barnardus Antonius Maria Westerwoudt.
The provided sources do not contain information regarding specific exhibition history or an inventory or accession number for the piece.
Context
The painting was created by Gerard Bilders in 1860 and depicts a tree, reflecting his early engagement with naturalistic landscape subjects. It is classified as a landscape painting, executed in oil on panel, and measures 24.5 cm in height by 34 cm in width. The work belongs to the broader movement of 19th-century Dutch landscape art and was produced during a period when artists began emphasizing direct observation of nature, aligning with the genre's evolving standards.
Bilders was associated with this tradition, and his works were collected by figures such as Joannes Barnardus Antonius Maria Westerwoudt, who later acquired this piece for his collection.
Overview
Created in 1860, this oil painting by Dutch artist Gerard Bilders presents a tranquil forest tableau. A solitary figure rests on a rock while a small herd of goats moves through a landscape of dense, shadowed trees pierced by shafts of light. The composition balances the solidity of the rocky ground with the softness of grass and foliage, conveying a quiet, pastoral atmosphere.
Subject & Meaning
The work captures a moment of repose within a rural setting: a person, likely a herder, pauses amid a group of goats, suggesting a pause in daily labor. The interplay of light and shadow across the trees and the gentle distribution of the animals evoke a sense of harmony between humanity and nature, emphasizing the serenity of ordinary countryside life.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Albertus Gerardus "Gerard" Bilders (9 December 1838 – 8 March 1865) was a Dutch landscape painter, associated with some members of the Hague School, such as Anton Mauve and Willem Maris.















