Twee boomstudies Possibly 1850 - 1859

Aaron Edwin Penley made this watercolor drawing, titled "Twee boomstudies", in 1850. The depiction of trees might seem like a straightforward engagement with nature, but we must consider its cultural and institutional context. This quiet scene was made in Britain, during the Victorian era. It reflects a growing interest in naturalism in art. The expansion of cities, enabled by industrialization, created a nostalgic longing for the countryside. Artists like Penley found a ready market for landscapes, with their reassuring scenes of rural life. The burgeoning art market drove specialisation, and artists were incentivized to master a particular genre. To fully appreciate a work like this, we need to research the economic conditions that made it possible, from the market for art to the technologies that made paint more affordable. The beauty we perceive in this drawing is thus deeply enmeshed in social and institutional histories.