Mignon desires her fatherland

Ary Scheffer painted "Mignon Longing for Her Homeland" in 1836, illustrating a scene from Goethe's novel "Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship." Mignon, the mysterious Italian girl who sings "Kennst du das Land" about her lost homeland, was one of the most popular literary subjects of the Romantic era. Scheffer, a Dutch-born painter working in Paris, specialized in literary and religious subjects infused with Romantic melancholy.

Scheffer renders Mignon with soft, atmospheric handling and a muted palette that conveys longing and nostalgia. The ethereal quality of the figure and the suggested landscape create a visual equivalent of the musical yearning in Goethe's famous song.