'Lac de Louwerz et le chateau de Schwanau' 18th century

Charles Melchior Descourtis created 'Lac de Louwerz et le chateau de Schwanau' using etching and aquatint, a popular printmaking technique of the late 18th century. The artwork depicts an idealized view of Lake Lowerz and Schwanau Castle in Switzerland. Descourtis capitalizes on the visual codes of the picturesque. This was a style that gained traction among landscape artists at this time, depicting an aesthetic ideal of ruggedness, tranquility and nature. This appealed to the sensibilities of Europe's growing leisure class who increasingly viewed nature as a source of pleasure. The institutional history here concerns the market for art. Descourtis' work was made to be sold to people who bought art for their homes. Note the inclusion of farm workers in the foreground that speaks to the social conditions of the time. As art historians, our work involves unpicking the conditions that shape artistic production. This means looking at travelogues and social surveys of the period to get a sense of what the artist, and their audience, valued.