Young shepherd at the well 

Filippo Indoni made this watercolor painting of a young shepherd at the well in nineteenth-century Italy. It depicts two young people, perhaps adolescents, engaged in the everyday task of drawing water from a well. Images such as these, showing scenes of rural life, gained popularity as Italy underwent modernization and urbanization. The appeal may have come from a desire to preserve an idea of a simpler time, a reaction against the rapid changes in society. The institutional art world – galleries, academies, and patrons – played a significant role in promoting these types of images. The rising middle class also had the financial means to collect art, and they often favored idyllic scenes that reflected a romantic view of rural life. To understand the painting more fully, one might research the social and economic conditions in Italy during the 1800s and the role of the art market in shaping artistic taste. These social and institutional contexts are important keys to unlocking the deeper meanings in artworks.