Hus med hønsegård 1818 - 1918

Hans Smidth painted "Hus med hønsegård" with oil on canvas. The way this hen house is rendered, this artwork can tell us a lot about social and institutional histories in late 19th-century Denmark. The rough and ready building materials and the inclusion of working animals speaks to the rising status of rural life as a subject for high art. In countries across Europe, artists turned away from traditional subject matter such as religion, myth or the aristocracy, seeking new inspiration in the everyday life of the common person. Smidth's work reflects that move in Danish painting. It reflects the rise of national sentiment and a focus on uniquely Danish subject matter. The local art academy and other institutions played an important role in shaping his aesthetic style and subject matter. To understand better the significance of works such as this, we can look at exhibition reviews from the period, artists' letters, and institutional records from art schools and museums. In this way we can reconstruct the cultural values that were in play in the artwork's time.