Alcyone’s Farewell to her Husband. From Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Song XI 1813

Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg painted "Alcyone's Farewell to her Husband" in the nineteenth century. It depicts a scene from Ovid's Metamorphoses. Eckersberg was a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. His neoclassical style aligns with the Academy's emphasis on reason, order, and classical ideals. But it was also a turbulent time in Europe. The Napoleonic Wars challenged existing social and political structures. Artists began to explore themes of nationalism, revolution, and social justice. The painting reflects the era's complex relationship with the past, and how artists grappled with tradition in a time of rapid change. Art historians consult a range of sources, from letters to exhibition reviews, to reconstruct the context in which artworks like this were created and displayed. The meanings of art shift over time, shaped by the social and institutional forces that give art its value and significance.