On the Road

A continent on the move

Ever-present war also sets Europe in motion. Armies and retinues crisscross the entire continent. They leave a trail of devastation and make the streets unsafe. Those who have lost their livelihoods are forced to become robbers. Entire swathes of land are ravaged by brutal gangs. Despite all the danger and hardship, everyone seems to be on the move: Merchants populate Europe’s trade routes with their goods. No less mobile are the craftsmen and artists. Pilgrims set off on pilgrimages in search of their salvation.

Simply the struggle for survival forces others into constant migration: peddlers, who possess nothing more than what they carry on their backs, hordes of beggars, jugglers and “itinerant folk”. They all must reckon with imprisonment and expulsion at any moment.

This world does not yet know the phenomenon of the modern tourist. A precursor is the young aristocrat who sets off on the grand tour, a great educational journey that should provide him with knowledge of the world. Yet it is not solely magnificent views and famous monuments that captivate the curious eyes of many travellers. The accounts of contemporaries and artistic depictions also deal with the daily hardship of travel, everyday life abroad, decay and poverty as the consequences of constant crises and conflicts.

Isaac van Ostade (1621–1649), Resting in Front of a Dutch Tavern

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Universalmuseum Joanneum · On The Road

Universalmuseum Joanneum · Vagrants And Beggars

Artworks at a glance

Landscape with a Mine

Herri met de Bles, who came from the Meuse region, is one of the pioneers of post-medieval landscape painting that emerged in the southern Netherlands. Highest precision in detail and almost visionary expansiveness in the creation of a panorama-like pictorial space characterise this work and document Flanders' fundamental contribution to the development of European painting at the highest level.

Flemish Village Street with View of Antwerp

Antwerp-born Joos de Momper the Younger was one of the most prolific exponents of Flemish landscape painting in the first half of the 17th century. Beside mountain-, river or coastal landscapes, villages and towns were also the focus of his artistic interest as places filled with vigorous life.

Few countries in Europe had such a large density of cities as the Netherlands. The densely populated, commercial metropolises became a popular artistic motif and bore witness to fame, glory and prosperity of the young Netherlands, which managed to becoming one of the leading commercial powers of Europe. Especially the city of Antwerp, already in the 16th century a centre of international trade , offered an impressive sight with the soaring spire of the Cathedral of Our Lady, the largest church in the country.

Joos de Momper d. J. (1564–1635), Flemish Village Street with View of Antwerp

Harbour View

The seamless connection between land and sea, the smooth transition from one element to the other, is a main theme of Dutch landscape painting. The background to this is an unprecedented success story: from a marginalised position, the country succeeded in becoming a global maritime and trading power. This success came at a high price: Political and religious independence was only achieved after decades of war against Spain. The prosperous city of Amsterdam became the most important centre of international trade.

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Styria