Landschap met Narcissus en Echo Possibly 1774

Richard Earlom created this etching titled 'Landschap met Narcissus en Echo' in 1774. It references the well-known story from Ovid's Metamorphoses. The story tells of Narcissus, who is so captivated by his own reflection in a pool that he pines away and transforms into the Narcissus flower, and Echo, a nymph who can only repeat what others say, and who fades away with grief when Narcissus rejects her. Earlom was part of a generation of artists who transformed the institutions of art. In eighteenth-century England, printmaking was a huge business, but it was also increasingly seen as a vehicle for education and reform. The print market was closely tied to the rise of art academies and museums, which provided models and markets for artists. Here, Earlom presents a classical myth in landscape; this idealization of nature connects to a nostalgic view of the distant past. As an art historian, I find the key to understanding an image lies in its contemporary social and institutional context. Further research into printmaking of the time would help to better understand this artwork.