Skitser, f.n. det hvilende par 1860

Lorenz Frølich made this pen and ink drawing in Denmark sometime in the 19th century. It presents us with a classical scene of idealized figures in a state of domestic tranquility. We can think about this image as a product of the institutionalization of art. The formal style of the artwork reflects the academic training that artists like Frølich received in the 19th century. Denmark, like many European countries at the time, had established art academies to promote a particular vision of national artistic identity. Here, that meant learning the canon of classical art and reproducing it in a way that was seen as tasteful and refined. This drawing also reflects the influence of the museum. Public museums were founded throughout Europe to display classical art. Artists like Frølich visited museums, studied the artworks, and incorporated them into their own work. To understand an artwork like this, art historians will often consult archives of letters, exhibition reviews, and institutional records. We examine these documents to understand the social and institutional context of the artwork. We consider the ways artworks were used to shape ideas about national identity and social norms.