Landscape with Apollo Guarding the Herds of Admetus 1645

Claude Lorrain created this painting of a landscape with Apollo sometime in the mid-17th century. As a classicizing painter in Baroque Rome, Lorrain contributed to the period's fashion for pastoral scenes, and this one presents an idealised view of nature infused with classical mythology. The subject matter may seem straightforward, but there are questions about what it tells us about the social function of art. The story is of Apollo, the sun god, sentenced to servitude. The image creates meaning by associating wealth and power with harmony, serenity and order. It's worth asking whether this was a politically conservative image that promoted the values of the establishment. The work of art historians involves discovering what resources are available to help us better understand the place of art in culture. It's a reminder that the meaning of art is not fixed but depends on its ever-changing social and institutional context.