Magic flute c. 1791 - 1803

This drawing of The Magic Flute was made by Franz Pforr, likely in Frankfurt, Germany, sometime in the early 1800s. Pforr was a member of the Brotherhood of St. Luke, a group of artists who rejected the dominant Neoclassical style and the art academy system. The drawing depicts the scene of Papageno, a bird catcher, being threatened by Monostatos and his slaves. Pforr's image draws on the popularity of Mozart’s opera, which was performed for a wide public and combined high and low culture. Pforr was interested in the artistic traditions of the Middle Ages, and he was dedicated to craft guilds and the idea of communal artistic creation. The institutions of art, such as the academy and the market, play a crucial role in shaping artists' choices and the meanings we find in artworks. To truly understand this image, we can consult historical sources to analyze the social and political context in which Pforr was working, focusing on how he challenged the norms of his time.