Christ Appears in front of Mary Magdalene (Noli me tangere) 1681

Claude Lorrain painted "Christ Appears in front of Mary Magdalene" in the mid-17th century, with oil on canvas. As a French artist living in Rome, Claude was part of a large community of foreign artists, who often looked to the Roman Campagna for inspiration. Here, the Biblical scene is set against a Roman landscape. See if you can make out the city walls in the distance. The narrative takes a back seat to the setting. The painting is less an illustration of a religious event and more of an idealized view of the Roman countryside. Interestingly, paintings such as this were very popular with tourists visiting Italy on the Grand Tour. Often wealthy Northern Europeans would visit Italy to admire the art and antiquity. Paintings became a kind of souvenir for them to take back home. Art history helps us understand the changing role of art in society, not only through patronage but also through the social function of art, its relation to tourism, and the way it intersects with education and politics.