Elise op de vlucht en gezelschap bij zonsondergang aan de oever van de Sont 1779

Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki created this etching, "Elise on the Run and Company at Sunset on the Banks of the Sound," sometime in the late 18th century. Chodowiecki was a cosmopolitan artist, whose French Huguenot family had fled religious persecution and settled in Prussia. This work, like much of his art, illustrates literary scenes, tapping into the era’s sentimental narratives. The first scene shows a woman escaping on horseback. We can only imagine what she is fleeing from! The second scene portrays a melancholic gathering at sunset. What binds these figures together? What story connects the fleeing woman to the group by the shore? Chodowiecki lived during the Enlightenment, and his work reflects the changing social and cultural values of the time, exploring themes of morality, emotion, and the human condition. As we consider these scenes, we might reflect on the narratives they suggest and how they resonate with our own experiences of escape, companionship, and introspection.