En fåreflok 1850

Johannes Wilhelm Zillen made this etching, "En fåreflok," sometime in the mid-19th century. Look closely, and you'll see a small flock of sheep in a field, rendered with the detailed linework characteristic of etching. Zillen was working in Denmark during a period of significant social and economic change. The rural population was experiencing upheaval, and the art world was increasingly interested in depictions of everyday life. Images of rural life, like this one, were taking on new importance. Were they celebrations of an idealized past, or documents of a changing present? To understand this work better, we might research the agricultural practices of 19th-century Denmark, or look into the market for prints like this one. Art history, you see, is about understanding how images participate in the world around them.