Optrækkende uvejr 1890

Louise Ravn-Hansen created this etching, titled "Optrækkende uvejr", in Denmark during the late 19th or early 20th century. It shows a landscape with a field, trees, a body of water, and an ominous sky. The image resonates with the cultural context of the time. Denmark, like other European nations, was experiencing rapid industrialization and urbanization. This print reflects a longing for the idealized simplicity of rural life, and a growing awareness of the fragility of the natural world. Ravn-Hansen was a woman artist at a time when the art world was dominated by men. Her choice to depict landscape, a genre often associated with national identity, suggests a desire to participate in the construction of Danish cultural identity. To understand it better, we could look at exhibition histories from the period. The meaning of this art is tied to the social and institutional context in which it was made and viewed.