The Fountain in the Wood 1805

Editor: This is Carl Wilhelm Kolbe's "The Fountain in the Wood." I'm struck by the way it blends wilderness and civilization. What can you tell me about the cultural context of such imagery? Curator: Well, consider the rise of the bourgeoisie and their aspirations. Did scenes like this reinforce a sense of social order or perhaps offer an escape from it? Editor: I suppose it could be both. The idealized nature offers respite, but the carefully planned landscape also speaks to control and ownership. Curator: Exactly! And how might Kolbe's print serve to promote or legitimize this view of nature as a cultivated space? Editor: That's a great point; it's like a real estate advertisement for the upper class. I hadn't thought about it that way. Curator: Thinking about art in its social context really changes how we see it. Editor: It does! I'll definitely remember that next time.