Extensive Landscape with a Village and Hillside in the Distance c. 1860

Félix Hippolyte Lanoue made this pastel drawing of a landscape, with a village and hillside, sometime in the mid-19th century. The image evokes a sense of pastoral calm, in line with the artistic conventions of its time. But we might also consider how the image participates in a social narrative, as many landscape paintings of the period were commissioned by wealthy landowners to display their property and status. Lanoue was French, but this image seems to depict the Italian countryside around Rome, a popular destination for artists during the 19th century. In France the academic system of art education prescribed that young artists should travel to Italy to study classical art. The image of Italy at this time, as seen through art, literature, and tourism, was filtered through ideas about beauty, history, and cultural identity. An art historian might use travel journals and exhibition catalogs to explore this context more deeply. Art always speaks from a specific cultural location.