Elias opvækker enkens søn 1827

Edvard Sonne made this print, Elias opvækker enkens søn, using engraving. Here we see a scene from the Old Testament in which the prophet Elijah raises a widow’s son from the dead. Sonne was Danish, and this print reflects a broad Northern European interest in religious subjects. The clean lines and classical forms also suggest the influence of Neoclassicism, a style favored by academies and state-sponsored art institutions. Religious art had long been a tool of social control, and the history of its production and reception are intertwined with the history of power. To understand this image better, we can consider what role religion played in the cultural and political life of Denmark at this time. What was the state of the national church? How did the general population engage with the scripture? These are the kinds of questions that art historians pursue to gain a deeper understanding of art’s place in the world.