The good shepherd 

Philipp Veit made this pencil drawing, "The Good Shepherd", sometime in the first half of the 19th century. It depicts Christ as a shepherd, tending to his flock. But why this subject? And why in this style? Veit was part of the Nazarenes, a group of German Romantic painters. The Nazarenes wanted to revive spirituality in art, looking back to pre-Renaissance models. This drawing revives earlier imagery of the Good Shepherd. The figure of Christ is given a humble, classical treatment. The landscape is populated by generalized forms of trees. The Nazarenes’ art was a self-conscious rejection of the secular, academic art world. They chose religious themes, promoted a return to an older artistic style, and even lived together in a monastic style, near Rome. Art historians consult manifestos, letters and biographies of the artists involved to learn more about these complex exchanges. In this way, the art work becomes legible as a historical document.