Et bondehus 1842

Vilhelm Kyhn made this print of a farmhouse using etching, a printmaking technique, some time in the 19th century. Kyhn was part of the artistic movement to create a distinctly Danish art. A key part of this was creating landscape paintings that rejected the influence of other countries and instead focused on Denmark itself. Artists went out into the Danish countryside to paint "en plein air," which meant capturing the landscape as they saw it around them. This print shows a humble farmhouse with a thatched roof in a simple, rural setting. Kyhn's etching is interesting for its focus on the everyday and its contribution to a national artistic identity. Art historians look at the ways in which art reflects a nation's self-image, and shapes its sense of identity. Analyzing works like these helps us understand the social conditions that shape artistic production, including the institutions that support and promote particular artistic visions.