Vinbjergsnegle I Kunstmaler Brendekildes Have 1930

Hans Andersen Brendekilde painted "Vinbjergsnegle I Kunstmaler Brendekildes Have," or "Snails in the Artist Brendekilde's Garden," sometime around the turn of the 20th century. As an artist with peasant origins, Brendekilde often turned to rural life for subject matter, and his work is frequently associated with social realism. But what does it mean to zoom in, not on the plight of the peasantry, but on snails? What is gained by turning our attention to the miniature, to the slow, and to the overlooked? These snails occupy the artist's garden; their world is circumscribed by his care. They dwell amongst the verdant plants and moss covered rocks. The intimacy of the painting allows us to consider our relationship with the non-human world. It invites us to slow down, observe, and appreciate the beauty of the everyday, asking us to acknowledge the interconnectedness of life in all its forms.