Fotoreproductie van een schilderij van Christus in een bos, door Laurens Lodewijk Kleijn c. 1865 - 1900

Laurens Lodewijk Kleijn made this photograph of a painting of Christ in a forest sometime in the 19th century. The sentimental piety of the original painting is mediated by the mechanical means of its reproduction and, in turn, by our contemporary vantage point. This little photo speaks volumes about the changing role of religious imagery in the Netherlands as it underwent processes of modernization and secularization. Kleijn likely made this photograph to serve as a study for another painting, or perhaps for commercial distribution. Consider, though, that photography was still a relatively new technology at this time. What does it mean for the aura of a painting to be captured and disseminated in this way? Was it seen as a threat to the established church, or perhaps as a means of popularizing its teachings? To understand the cultural work this image was doing, we would need to delve into archives of religious institutions, art academies, and the commercial photography industry. Only then could we understand its place in the visual culture of the time.