Johanna de Waanzinnige bij het lijk van Filips de Schone 1823 - 1900

This print from the nineteenth century by Johann Wilhelm Kaiser depicts a dramatic scene with Johanna of Castile, known as ‘the Mad’ and the corpse of her husband, Philip the Fair. Images like this are examples of history painting, a genre of art that sought to represent episodes from the past in a way that was emotionally engaging and morally instructive for contemporary audiences. In nineteenth-century Europe, history painting was considered to be the highest form of art, and it was often used to promote nationalistic ideals. The pathos of this image speaks to a sentimentalism that was fashionable at the time it was made. History here is not simply a record of events, it is a political and cultural resource. As historians of art, we can turn to historical records, literature, and popular culture to understand the changing perception and public role of art. We also consider the ways in which art can both reflect and shape those perceptions.