Alexis buigt zich over de flauwgevallen Louise 1770 - 1775

Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki made this pen and ink drawing, entitled ‘Alexis bends over the fainting Louise’, in eighteenth-century Germany. The scene depicts a moment of high drama, straight out of a sentimental novel. But it also speaks volumes about the social and cultural norms of its time. The image creates meaning through visual codes of class and gender. Louise is the picture of feminine frailty, while Alexis embodies male concern and action. The artist was a leading figure in the Berlin Academy of Arts, an institution that played a key role in shaping artistic tastes and promoting certain social values. Was Chodowiecki’s intention to reinforce such values? Or was he critiquing them? To understand this drawing better, we can consult sources like conduct books and popular literature from the period. These resources can reveal the expectations placed on men and women, and the ways in which artists engaged with those expectations. Ultimately, art always reflects the society in which it is made.