Arcadisch landschap met herders en een vrouw 1745

Francesco Zuccarelli painted this Arcadian landscape with shepherds and a woman with gouache and charcoal. Painted in the 18th century, this Italian scene is bathed in the soft light of a bygone era. But what exactly is ‘Arcadia’? The term comes to us from ancient Greek myths, and it represents an idealized vision of pastoral life: shepherds and nymphs living in harmony with nature. By the 1700s, the concept of Arcadia had become a popular theme in European art and literature, expressing nostalgia for a simpler, pre-industrial past. Zuccarelli was, in fact, one of the founders of the Venetian Academy of Fine Arts. We should, therefore, look at this idyllic image as a comment on the social structures of its time and an idealized desire to retreat from the institutional art world. To better understand this artwork, historians might explore popular literature from the 1700s or study the history of the Venetian Academy. It’s always important to remember that the meaning of art is contingent on its social and institutional context.