Daniel i løvekulen 1872

Otto Bache's 'Daniel in the Lions' Den' is a large canvas painted with oils, likely sometime in the late 19th century. The medium of painting here isn't exactly avant-garde, but Bache’s approach is far from traditional. Look closely, and you’ll notice the way the figures are rendered with a high degree of realism. Oil paint allowed Bache to capture the play of light and shadow on the figures, creating a sense of depth and drama, and the texture of the lions' fur. Consider the labor involved in producing a painting of this scale. From the preparation of the canvas to the mixing of pigments, the artist would have relied on the skills of assistants and apprentices, a reflection of the artistic production of the time. The painting's grand scale and dramatic subject matter speak to the values of the bourgeois class in the 19th century. By attending to the materials, making, and context of this artwork, we can move beyond traditional art historical interpretations and appreciate the complex social and cultural forces at play in its creation.