Concept in Definition ABC

It comes from the Greek word boukolikós, which means herder, that is, a person who is dedicated to taking care of oxen. However, in the civilization Roman the term bucolicus referred to any narration or expression artistic related to country life and, especially, to pastoral activity.

A bucolic life

A shepherd is dedicated to taking care of his flock to obtain a series of products, such as meat, wool or milk. In principle, his activity has no element singular. However, already in ancient times the world of shepherds aroused the interest of writers and artists, who saw the shepherd as an attractive character; living in the middle of nature, in solitude and away from busy life.

On the other hand, in the Bible the figure of the shepherd is associated with a series of noble ideals (let's not forget that Jesus Christ himself is known as The Good Shepherd). In this way, throughout history an idyllic image of pastoralism has been created and when speaking of a bucolic life it refers to the idealization of life in the countryside.

Bucolism in art

Some literary genres, certain pictorial themes or folkloric traditions have focused on the figure of the shepherd as the protagonist. This artistic trend is known as bucolismo.

Bucolismo as a creative resource is suggestive because it has a whole series of ingredients: exaltation of nature, the poetic dimension of the landscape or the symbolism of the figure of the shepherd in the gospels. These ingredients have been embodied in the poetry pastoral, but also in the novel and in medieval religious art. In all these artistic manifestations the pastor has been associated with dance and singing and, in a way, the shepherd has been a metaphor to express the longing for a life in harmony with nature.

The tradition of bucolismo began in the Greco-Latin world. Theocritus was the forerunner of bucolic or pastoral poetry in Ancient Greece and in Roman civilization the poet Virgilio wrote ten eclogues that are known as "Las Bucólicas".

The pastoral novel, an example of bucolism

In the seventeenth century in countries such as Spain, Portugal or Italy the pastoral novel became fashionable. It's about a gender in which there are two central axes: the idealization of nature and love as the main theme.

Some of the most representative works of him are "La Galatea" by Cervantes, "La Arcadia" by Lope de Vega or "Aminta" by Torquato Tasso. In these novels the protagonist is a sensitive, enamored shepherd with the soul of a poet.

Photos: Fotolia - VRD / ARochau