Biddende monnik op de rug gezien 1799 - 1869

Johann Friedrich Overbeck made this drawing of a praying monk sometime in the first half of the 19th century. Overbeck was a member of the Nazarenes, a group of German Romantic artists who aimed to revive honesty and spirituality in Christian art. This image of the monk, with his head resting on a cross, taps into a German cultural nostalgia for the medieval period, a time they imagined to be more pious than their own. The protestant reformation of the 16th century had created long-lasting divisions in Germany and the Nazarenes were interested in promoting the unifying power of faith in the face of what they perceived as growing secularism. To understand Overbeck’s work more fully, we can look at other Nazarene paintings and drawings, study the history of religion in Germany, and research the artistic institutions that supported artists like Overbeck. Understanding the social and institutional context of art helps us to interpret its meaning more fully.