Landscape with a Satyr 1535 - 1540

Domenico Campagnola made this drawing, Landscape with a Satyr, in pen and brown ink, sometime in the first half of the 16th century. It’s a fascinating glimpse into the cultural mindset of Renaissance Italy. On the one hand, we have a classical subject: the satyr, a creature of the wild, half-man and half-goat. But Campagnola places this figure within a carefully observed, contemporary landscape, complete with a village scene. The image is infused with the rediscovery of classical antiquity happening at the time, alongside an engagement with the natural world. What does it mean to bring these two worlds together? Perhaps it speaks to a desire to reconcile humanism with nature, or to find harmony between the urban and rural. Art historians dig into these questions through the study of ancient literature, the history of science, and by considering the changing role of art academies. Ultimately, Campagnola's drawing provides a window into a society grappling with its place in history and nature.