August

Art Historical Context

**August** by Hendrik Meijer, in 1772, a serene rural Dutch landscape during the height of summer. This intimate drawing depicts everyday life with windmills dotting the horizon, sturdy buildings, women engaged in daily tasks, horses, and dogs—evoking the pastoral charm of 18th-century. Titled for the month, it likely reflects the warmth and activity of harvest season, a common theme in Dutch art that celebrates the harmony between people, animals, and the land. Rendered on a modest sheet measuring just 5 3/16 x 7 7/16 inches (13.1 x 18.9 cm), Meijer masterfully employs black chalk for soft shading and texture, complemented by brown, black, or gray ink for precise lines and watercolor washes for subtle color. This mixed-media technique, typical of Dutch topographic drawings, allowed artists like Meijer to create vivid, atmospheric studies that feel both spontaneous and refined, bridging the Golden Age traditions with Rococo lightness. Acquired by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2005 through the Charles and Jessie Price Gift, this work from the Drawings and Prints department highlights Meijer's skill in genre scenes. It offers visitors a window into 18th-century rural life, reminding us how such small-scale gems preserve the poetry of the ordinary.