Berken before 1899

Esther Behrens made this photograph, entitled 'Berken', sometime around the turn of the 20th century, using a platinum print. In its formal composition, the image is reminiscent of the Barbizon school. Yet it’s important to remember that the German art world into which Behrens entered was deeply divided. On one side were advocates of academic painting, on the other, proponents of a more modern style that challenged these existing norms. Photography became popular among women artists at this time, and it provided a new medium that circumnavigated the traditional institutions of art. We can view this image, therefore, as a statement on these debates, as it straddles the line between traditional and modern artistic practices, between academic painting and photography, between the established art world and the new roles for women in the arts. To understand the social context of this image more fully, we can look to exhibition catalogues and reviews, gallery records, and artists’ personal papers. By doing so, we see more clearly the complex relationships between art and its social and institutional contexts.