Twee jongens met een paard 1753 - 1793

Louis Marin Bonnet created this sanguine drawing, “Two Boys with a Horse,” sometime before his death in France in 1793. Bonnet was known for his engravings, and this drawing gives insight into the kind of imagery he often reproduced. The image depicts two young men and a horse, perhaps on the road or resting from a journey. The standing figure is cocky, and the reclining figure looks up at him quizzically. What kind of relationship do these people have to each other? We might consider this image in relation to the rise of bourgeois culture in France in the late 18th century. As artists looked beyond aristocratic patronage for subject matter, images of everyday life became more popular. Genre scenes such as this reflect the social structure of their own time, often valorizing ordinary citizens while remaining blind to the lives of those in other classes. Art historians use historical records, such as letters, diaries, and financial documents, to understand the role of art in the 18th century.