Chapel at the edge of a forest 

Peter Becker created this pencil drawing, "Chapel at the Edge of a Forest," sometime in the mid-19th century. The drawing captures a specific moment and place, but also speaks to broader cultural anxieties of the time. The chapel, a symbol of religious and social order, is relegated to the periphery, almost swallowed by the encroaching forest. Germany in the 1800s was undergoing rapid industrialization and urbanization, which led to a nostalgic yearning for simpler, rural life. Artists and writers often portrayed nature as a refuge from the perceived corruptions of modern society. Becker's choice to depict the chapel in such a way suggests a questioning of traditional institutions in the face of these sweeping changes. By studying sources from that time—literature, social commentary, and records of institutional change—we can learn so much more about how art reflects the cultural landscape.