Klippestudie fra Capri 1839

Christen Købke made this rock study of Capri with pencil on paper. The image presents a view of rocks and sparse vegetation, with a body of water and distant ship visible in the background. Købke made this drawing during a stay in Italy, part of a larger movement of artists who were traveling through Europe and the Mediterranean. We can consider this drawing as a sort of visual record. During the nineteenth century, sketching outdoors was an accepted part of an artist's training and practice. Art academies like the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts encouraged artists to travel and study the landscape, architecture, and culture of other countries. These sketches became a part of the art market. To understand the social life of this drawing better, one could look into the travel patterns of artists in the nineteenth century, the teaching practices of art academies, and the market for landscape sketches. The meaning of art is contingent on these social and institutional contexts.