Marie og Jujules som fårehyrder 1864 - 1877

Lorenz Frølich made this pen and ink drawing titled 'Marie og Jujules som fårehyrder'– or 'Marie and Jujules as Shepherds' – sometime in the 19th century. Here we see the artist invoking the romanticized ideal of rural life. The image uses visual codes that would have resonated with its 19th-century Danish audience. The children, barefoot and tending to sheep, reference a simpler, more innocent existence, idealized in contrast to the growing industrialization of the time. The artwork seems to comment on the changing social structures of its own time, perhaps offering a nostalgic view of a disappearing way of life. Was Frølich self-consciously conservative in his art? To understand this work better, we can look at the historical context of 19th-century Denmark, researching the social and economic conditions that shaped Frølich’s artistic production. By examining these forces, we can gain deeper insights into the meanings and values embedded in this seemingly simple image.